Code Geass: Lelouch of the Redemption
by Lordban
Summary: The year is 2019 atb. A time of peace follows the reign of the Demon Emperor, but Zero Requiem didn't tie all loose ends. Is Lelouch's carefully woven thread about to unravel? Testing the waters to decide it this continues or ends here.
1. Prologue

'v'

**Prologue**

Resurrection

'v'

* * *

'v'

'That mask's heavier than it appears' the immortal witch said. 'You have to be prepared to bear the weight of the world when you wear it.'

'I know.' Her accomplice sighed. 'I wish there was a way I could wear it without placing a share of that burden on so many shoulders.'

C.C. smiled. 'We could just run away.'

'You could' Lelouch agreed, also smiling.

'I bet you would make me run away if you thought it was to your advantage.'

'I don't take suckers' bets.'

She chuckled. 'I knew I should never have trusted the word of a pathologic liar.'

'The mask they call Zero is a device to let me lie, after all. Were you expecting something else?'

'Are you supposed to be lying when you're not masquerading as Zero?'

Lelouch's smile became sad. 'I didn't lie' he said quietly, his eyes on the mask in her hands.

'No, not to me' C.C. said, and she smiled. She closed the distance between her and her accomplice. 'Are you ready?' she asked him gently.

He sighed. 'As much as I will ever be.' Lelouch straightened. He took the mask from her hands and stared into it. His expression shifted to become one of cold resolution.

C.C. felt a pang as she realized it was the same expression he had worn when he'd first told Suzaku he intended to die. 'Someone is going to regret he's forced Zero to come back' she said.

'Right he will.'

Lelouch put the mask on his face. He and C.C. listened to the familiar sound of the rear flap sliding into position. It had been more than a year since they'd last heard that sound.

He drew a deep breath, and looked into the mirror.

'Welcome back, Zero.'

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N:** Dear readers, welcome! Yes, you've just stumbled upon another of those "Code Geass: R3" fan fics! Hopefully this one will be worth your while!

Since this is an introduction, we'll do the usual disclaimer here rather than at the top: I don't own any of the material in this story, and the only profit I seek to make is the knowledge some people enjoy reading it.

This fic is AU for a number of reasons, one of them being Lelouch still breathing, obviously! You will discover the other reasons this is AU as the story goes on, but since this fic is named after Lelouch I'll hint at one of them: our dear boy made an omission, and as is often the case when geniuses make mistakes, he screwed royally. That peace of Lelouch's might very well end up to be short-lived. The relationships at the beginning of this story are those at the time of the Code Geass: R2 finale. They might of course change as the story develops: who knows the surprises life holds in store? ;)

This story has been divided in turns, attempting to reflect the Code Geass format. Those turns themselves will be cut in four parts, I don't fancy walls of text ;) I am afraid this story will be updated on a very irregular schedule (my own schedule being rather hectic), but when I start posting a Turn it means most of the material within is ready or almost ready. I'm not above making the occasionnal revision either.

Enjoy! - LB


	2. Turn 01: The Day the Demon did not Die

**A/N**: I don't own Code Geass nor this story or the characters it features.

* * *

'v'

**Code Geass R3: Lelouch of the Redemption  
Turn 01 - The Day the Demon did not Die**

'v'**  
**

* * *

'v'

The Imperial Crown Colony, near Tokyo settlement. Fourteen months earlier.

'v'

The young man's mangled corpse lay on a pile of refuse, its flesh torn in countless places. Horrible as the damage looked, C.C. had seen worse – and she had even experienced worse: the young man had not been dismembered or beheaded like she had sometimes been. She had expected the corpse to look even more horrible than it did and had braced herself for the shock of seeing it by picturing in her head the most ghastly scenes of murder she had ever seen – and it had not helped her in the slightest: the shock of seeing the corpse sent the immortal woman on all fours. She gagged and retched, and her mind was overwhelmed by a pain like nothing she remembered. Still she'd come to claim the body, and so she staggered in its direction, ignorant of the stink and the stains from the heap of garbage over which she crawled on her way to the piteous remains of her dead contractor.

The 99th Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia had gone out of his way to make himself hated - and he had been successful. His name had been cursed in every language spoken by man, and it would go down in history as that of the most heinous of monsters ever to walk the Earth, the megalomaniac tyrant who'd thought nothing of causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of innocents to become the sole ruler of mankind: Lelouch vi Britannia. The fact she knew this was exactly what Lelouch had wanted only added to her grief. C.C. had been one of the three people who were privy to his real intentions. Far from being the monster people would remember, Lelouch had sacrificed his life and even his memory to make the world a place without war.

C.C. did not reach his ruined husk. She still had a quarter of the way to make when she collapsed. Even though she knew it was useless she howled in pain and cried out his name. She had once worried Lelouch might be getting attached to her and had hoped they would be nothing more than each other's accomplice. She had never dreamed that _she_ would end up having feelings for _him_. The pain she was now experiencing dispelled all the doubts she'd had about the reality of her feelings for him. In a sense they were Lelouch's gift to her, a gift far more precious than the death for which she used to long for: for the first time in centuries she remembered what it was to be human.

If only it had been possible for Lelouch to extend that gift without causing her such pain…

She had to look away from Lelouch to find the strength to close the distance between her and his body. She opened her improvised rucksack and took out the blanket she'd brought to wrap Lelouch's body into, and laid it next to him. C.C. reached for the corpse, still not daring to glance at it.

The flesh she touched felt inexplicably hot. Flesh that had been dead for several hours and left outside in a cold night wasn't supposed to burn with fever. It was almost as if…

C.C. gasped. '_It should not be true_' she said to herself. '_It could not be true. It must not be true!'_

She whimpered. As much as she wanted to look at Lelouch and see whether he still lived, she could not bring herself to look at him: she was afraid of having hoped Lelouch might somehow be alive only to see her hope crushed, either because he was really dead or because all she would be able to do would be to watch him powerlessly as death finally caught with him. And at the same time she cursed herself for being incapable to act. She was supposed to be an immortal witch, detached from humanity and with no other reason to live than to find a way to finally die. It would have been so much simpler if Lelouch had not become another reason for her to live.

Trying to stop herself from thinking, C.C. reached tentatively for Lelouch's chest, knowing that she was supposed to find a gaping wound open at his heart. But she didn't feel one.

She felt a pulse.

Her own heart racing, C.C. inspected the wounds on her accomplice's body feverishly. They did not quite look like hers did when they were mending on their own, but they were mending. No doubts were possible now: Lelouch couldn't die anymore than she could.

Trying to be as gentle and careful as she could, the immortal witch wrapped her accomplice in the blanket she had brought for him and she carried him away. She hoped they would be far enough from civilization when the enemy of the world awakened.

'v'

The same night. The Imperial Crown Colony, Tokyo Settlement. The Palace of Emperor Lelouch, residential wing.

'v'

When she entered the temporary quarters which had been set up for Nunnally, Princess Cornelia was surprised to find her younger sibling in the company of two young people, one of them a blond-haired woman Cornelia was pretty sure was the host of a TV news broadcast, the other a blue-haired teenager in his school uniform.

She cleared her throat to address them: 'I thought I had made it clear that I didn't want her Royal Highness' rest disturbed' she said, gratifying the two intruders with a withering glare. The young man recoiled, but the blond woman returned Cornelia's stare.

'They're both here at my invitation, big sister' Nunnally said.

Cornelia relaxed, and she offered Nunnally's guests a rare smile: 'I will have to apologize to you both, then.'

'Your Highness is most welcome' the blond woman replied with a smile of her own. She looked quite the winsome girl, while her companion seemed too intimidated to talk.

'I need to talk to my sister' Cornelia explained, her voice now crisp and business-like. 'Would you two mind stepping outside?'

It was obviously not a request, and the two youths complied with Cornelia's wishes. The young man risked a 'See you later, then', to which Cornelia's sibling replied a 'See you' of her own, smiling apologetically. The warrior Princess escorted them outside and asked the guards at Nunnally's door to make sure nobody interrupted her conversation with her half-sister. Then she stepped back inside Nunnally's room.

Cornelia smiled. 'Friends of yours?' she asked casually.

'I met them both when I was at school here.'

'I'm sorry I had to interrupt this reunion' Cornelia said sincerely.

'It's okay.' Nunnally's voice was strained. 'It was weird. They said they had completely forgotten about me since I'd gone back to the Homeland, and all of a sudden they've just remembered.'

The two sisters exchanged meaningful gazes. They both knew of a means of altering a person's memory: Geass. Their late father Charles and late brother Lelouch had both had access to the supernatural powers of Geass, and neither of them had shown restraint in their use of Geass, as Nunnally herself knew from experience: her father had rewritten some of her memories and had made her lose her sight in the process, and then her brother had compelled her to surrender the key to Damocles against her will.

Her brother…

'Big sister' Nunnally said, 'I need to tell you something about Lelouch.'

'Am I about to hear the words he spoke to you before he died?'

'You're going to hear a bit more.'

Cornelia blinked with surprise. She had thought Nunnally wanted to talk about her brother's death because she needed to be comforted. The flinty determination in the young Princess' voice hinted at very different motives. 'Let's hear his words for a start' Cornelia said thoughtfully.

'They were "I destroy worlds, I create worlds".'

Cornelia nodded. 'Remaking the world in his image had really become his obsession. Apparently being murdered did not make him see the error in his ways.'

'He wasn't murdered. He committed suicide.'

Cornelia actually jumped. 'What do you mean by "he committed suicide?" ' She had spoken sharply. 'That Zero masquerader ran him through with a sword, it was no suicide.'

'He set up his own murder' Nunnally said with a thick voice. 'He gave Zero's mask to Suzaku.'

'Suzaku?' A worried frown creased Cornelia's face. 'Nunnally, Suzaku is dead. You may not have heard, since you were Lelouch's prisoner, but Suzaku was killed during the battle for Damocles. He was buried with great pomp seven weeks ago. They made it mandatory to watch the broadcast.'

'I know, they broadcast it to us prisoners too' Nunnally replied. 'I think it was a sham. There was no way Suzaku could become Zero if he was still the Knight of Zero.'

Cornelia did not reply. She looked at her sibling with concern.

'You're wondering if I went crazy after I saw what they did to brother' Nunnally stated. Cornelia looked at her. There was a small smile on Nunnally's lips.

'You'll have to admit I have reasons to worry' Cornelia finally said.

'I know.' She was still smiling. 'You've heard those tales of how one's life replays in their heads right before they died?'

'It's not infrequent among soldiers who suffered a near-fatal injury' Cornelia replied worriedly.

'When I took his hand I could see what he was remembering.'

'A hallucination?' Cornelia said sharply.

'No, I think it was a side effect of Geass' Nunnally countered calmly. 'He may not have realized he was doing it. I'm pretty sure he could no longer see or hear me.'

'And what did you see?'

'He made a pact with Suzaku. He gave him Zero's mask. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I didn't need to. He's done what I intended to do with Damocles before he stopped me.'

'You weren't going to do anything with Damocles!' Cornelia exclaimed. 'Schneizel was manipulating you! We all thought he was trying to stop Lelouch's madness when he was actually worse than him! He actually told me he wanted to play the role of God!'

'That's the reason I let him manipulate me' Nunnally replied calmly. Cornelia stared at her sister, an expression of shock painted on her traits. Nunnally spoke again: 'He could only become a God because he was the master of Damocles. Damocles would have become the symbol of the people's hatred, not him. Their hatred would have focused on it, so that everyone would have been free to move towards their futures.'

'They would have had the freedom of slaves!' Cornelia spat.

'That was the best I could offer them.' Nunnally smiled sadly. 'Big brother seems to have found a better way: he became the focus of the people's hatred, and then the people got their wish: he's dead. And now they are free.'

Cornelia gave Nunnally a stunned look. 'They are' she said with a troubled voice. 'I had no idea you had thought things this far.'

'And there's no need for FLEIJA now' Nunnally said. 'Anybody who tries to start a war will be associated with Lelouch in other people's minds, and everybody else will turn against them. They'll be just as hated as big brother is.'

'They certainly will be…' Cornelia was shaking as she sat in one of the chairs that had been vacated by Nunnally's guests. 'Do you have any other reasons to believe Lelouch might actually have made the kind of plans you're suggesting?'

'Just one reason: he promised me he would make a kinder world.'

'He destroys worlds and creates worlds…' Cornelia mused. 'But he didn't care about you. He said it himself. And we know he was a first-class liar and manipulator. What makes you think he'd want to keep a promise he made to you?'

Nunnally smiled. 'Well, either he lied to me when he made his promise or he lied when he said he didn't like me. Judging from the results, either he screwed up – which means he didn't like me – or his plan worked, which means he kept his promise. He's left us free to believe whichever version suits us. I choose to believe his plan worked.'

Both sisters sat quietly for a few moments, their eyes on each other. The elder of the two had a troubled look on her face, where the younger of them looked serene, if still saddened by the death of her brother.

It was Nunnally who broke the silence. 'You had come to tell me something, big sister' she said gently.

'I had come to make a request, but I'm no longer sure it is a good idea' Cornelia replied with a frown.

'What was it you wanted to ask?'

'Well…' Cornelia swallowed. 'I was going to ask you to become a minister in the next government of Britannia.'

'You think I'm not qualified enough to be a minister after what I've just told you?'

'You've certainly given me afterthoughts. Don't worry about your qualifications, though, you're certainly more capable than most of our brothers and sisters.' Cornelia smiled ruefully. 'You're such a gentle person that it's easy to forget you're actually Lelouch's sister.'

'Was that actually a compliment?' Nunnally said, also smiling.

'It's as much of a compliment as being compared to the Demon Emperor can be.'

Nunnally sighed. 'The Demon Emperor…'

'I've heard quite a few people in resistance circles call him by that name in the past couple of weeks' Cornelia explained. 'You'd better get used to hearing this name. I'm pretty sure it'll stick.'

'I think Lelouch would have appreciated' Nunnally said sadly.

'Maybe he would have' Cornelia acquiesced, and she sighed. 'We will never know for certain. To speak frankly, I'm not sure we want to.'

Nunnally nodded. 'If anybody told the public Lelouch has sacrificed himself to make peace, there would be those who believe them, and those who've lost too much to believe. There'd be another war, and he'd have died in vain.'

Cornelia smiled. 'You're definitely a better politician than the family thinks.'

Nunnally blushed. 'I had to learn politics. When I was appointed Viceroy I wanted big brother to be proud of my actions, and then on Damocles I had to try and out-think him and brother Schneizel at the same time.'

'Make sure you mention that particular reference when you apply for your next job' Cornelia said wryly, earning a surprised look from her younger sibling. 'In fact, how about I went to find something suitable for you to wear at your job interview?'

Nunnally blinked. 'What job interview?' she asked, confused. 'What do have in mind? You've said you didn't think it was a good idea if I participated in the government of Britannia, and I don't see how my knowing a little about politics could have to do with anything else.'

'I can think of one' Cornelia replied. 'Schneizel had appointed you to do it.'

A chill ran down Nunnally's spine. 'You want me to sit on the Throne.'

'I want you to consider it. You don't have to give me a reply today. Or maybe you think any of your brothers or sisters could carry this burden better than you would?'

Nunnally winced. Her father had sired several dozen children, but the overwhelming majority of them had failed to distinguish themselves from the rest of their siblings. Should any of them ascend to the throne, it was inevitable that at least one of his siblings would challenge the authority of the weak Emperor, and there would be a civil war. Aside from Nunnally and Cornelia, only two princes and two princesses had gained sufficient notoriety to deserve being considered for the throne. Nunnally started to review them in her mind.

The two princesses certainly weren't better candidates than Nunnally herself. Guinevere was the eldest daughter of Charles zi Britannia, an authoritarian and vain woman who was more reputed for being a spendthrift than for her actual role in the Imperial government. Carline was Nunnally's age, and that was about the only point both teenagers had in common: the Fifth Princess thrived in conflict, and she would go out of her way to aggravate someone just for the sake of enjoying a challenge – not a desirable trait in a ruler whose major task would be to safeguard a peace and make it endure.

Odysseus had been their father's eldest child, and since the 98th Emperor had not designated one of his other children as his heir, Odysseus was now technically the legitimate Emperor of Britannia. But he was far from having the required skills to rule a globe-spanning Empire, and he was too indecisive and weak-willed to serve capably even in the role of figurehead.

On the other hand, their brother Schneizel had proven he was a peerless politician and administrator. After their father had started to disengage himself from the business of running the Empire to focus on his research, Schneizel had become the _de facto _ruler of Britannia for several years. But in his case the question was how to stop him from seizing the throne. If he became the ruler of Britannia, the United Federation of Nations' response would be to wage war with him, and he was quite capable of winning such a war. The only peace that was possible with Schneizel as Emperor was peace enforced at gunpoint, and that was the very situation everybody had been so desperate to escape after Lelouch had won the Battle of Damocles. No, they must not allow Schneizel to get anywhere near the throne, and it was urgent to place it out of his reach before he could manage to rally other princes to support his claim.

It left two possible candidates: Nunnally and Cornelia.

'What makes you think I would be a better Empress than you would, big sister?' Nunnally asked.

'I'm certainly a more experienced ruler than you are' Cornelia said frankly, 'but I'm a warrior, and I think like one. To keep an open mind when negotiating just isn't in my nature. I intended to take the throne, and I had come to offer you a seat on my government because I'd have needed someone like you to make me see things from a different perspective.'

'That sounds like a brilliant idea. Why are you changing your mind about becoming the Empress?'

'Because you're the one who sees things from that different perspective. I could be a good wartime Empress, but Britannia needs a peacetime ruler, someone who will try to understand other people's concerns in their dealings with them. And then because, like I said earlier, you're such a gentle person that it's easy to forget you're actually Lelouch's sister.' Cornelia smiled. 'I was never capable to look at the bigger picture the way people like Lelouch or Schneizel do. You've just proved you have that capacity. Given time, you'll become just as good as dealing with the day-to-day business of running an Empire as I am, and I can advise you for as long as it takes you to get there.'

Nunnally was lost in thought for a minute. Then a happy smile lit her face. 'I'll do it.'

'Are you certain of this?' Cornelia asked her with concern. 'You haven't much time to think this through.'

'I'm certain' Nunnally replied serenely.

'There will be no turning back.'

'There was no turning back when I triggered the launch of Damocles' FLEIJAs.' Nunnally smiled. 'We both think it's the best for Britannia and for peace, so let's do the best. We'll have more than enough time to worry about the rest.'

Cornelia studied her younger sister's face for a few moments. Then she stood up, and she curtsied: 'Yes, your Majesty.' She smiled. 'You'd better get used to it.'

'Do you mind finding something for me to wear at that job interview?' Nunnally's eyes twinkled.

'I'll see to that as soon as I know who you're going to see.'

'Let's make it a very short list of people: Zero, Miss Sumeragi and maybe the Tianzi if Miss Sumeragi thinks we should hear the voice of the Chinese Federation. I don't know if the E.U. will be reforming, but even if they are it'll be a while until they agree on a representative. Can you think of anybody else?'

'Li Xingke' Cornelia said. 'The rank-and-file of the Black Knights think Zero is their natural leader, but the upper echelons have been betrayed by our brother and they won't just submit to this new Zero.'

Nunnally blushed. 'I didn't think of this. Thank you.'

'Don't worry. You're not used to dealing with top-level military. Actually-'

'-it will make my interlocutors more likely to trust me as long as you're not whispering in my ear - or even better, not sitting on this conversation' Nunnally said, smiling apologetically.

'_Touché_.' Cornelia smiled. 'You'll definitely do fine.'

Cornelia curtsied, and she made her exit. After the sound of her footsteps had faded in the distance, Nunnally closed her eyes, and she pictured her brother's face in her mind. And she talked to him.

'I'll make you proud, big brother' she said. 'I promise.'

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N: **You will notice this story is articulated in "Turns" like the Anime series. However each "episode" will be covered in several updates: I don't fancy walls of text that much ;)

I bet nobody was surprised Nunnally looks set to become Empress. I didn't think I should picture her as the innocent girl she's been during most of the series, not after what she told Lelouch on Damocles. I'd like to explore that side of her in this story, and hope you'll like that Nunnally.


	3. Turn 01 Part 2

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews. They're always welcome :) Constructive criticism also is!

Still haven't managed to get my grubby little hands on Code Geass. Still trying.

'v'

* * *

'v'

The Palace of Emperor Lelouch. Two hours later.

Nunnally felt uncomfortable as the attendants picked by Cornelia wheeled her through her brother's palace. When her sister's men had brought her to the palace a few hours earlier Nunnally had been too distraught to really pay attention to her surroundings. Now she was surprised to discover whoever had designed the palace had not simply focused on making it functional (real palaces aren't built in a couple of months, this whole structure was a temporary center of power), but had obviously put some effort into giving the place an eerie feel.

There were no windows in the cold hallways Nunnally was traversing. Their dimensions were large, but the lighting was sparse, and carefully positioned columns and buttresses projected large shadows, creating veritable alcoves of darkness and often making it hard to differentiate the walls and ceiling. Without her brother's guards lining the hallways, the place only felt claustrophobic. Nunnally pictured the uniformed men standing in the dark recesses, their faces hidden behind masks and the only touch of color coming from the yellowish eyes on their uniforms, eyes staring unblinkingly at whoever had to pass by them.

The vision Nunnally had conjured was chilling; she could almost feel the Demon Emperor's presence pervading those hallways. _It must have been another of his lies_ Nunnally told herself. _Another deception to pretend he was nothing but a heartless tyrant_.

It was difficult to push the image away from her mind. Even though she didn't believe the palace was a reflection of her brother's true character, Nunnally couldn't escape the knowledge it belonged to a world Lelouch had created: a cruel and unforgiving place where people had to live in constant fear. That there had been a noble purpose behind the oppression did not make it less real.

Nunnally shivered. The world she would have created with Schneizel wouldn't have been much different from the world of the Demon Emperor. She had known intellectually that the people would have lived in constant fear with the threat of Damocles hanging over their heads. Now in the dark hallways her brother had created she could _feel_ the fear she'd have forced mankind to experience every day of their lives. It pained her to realize just how much harm her brother had prevented her from inflicting; that her purpose had been noble did nothing to allay that pain. It was already painful for Nunnally to accept she had been ready to sentence billions of innocents to perpetual fear. She could only imagine the torment she would be facing had she still been holding the key of Damocles.

Suddenly she realized this was the exact kind of feelings her brother must have endured for nearly two years. He'd manipulated people, forced his will on them and killed them, first as Zero and then as the Demon Emperor. He had committed an endless litany of sins and ruined countless millions of lives as a result, and he'd had to hide the grief it must have caused him. He couldn't risk showing grief. Zero, as the ally of justice, wasn't supposed to feel any kind of remorse for his deeds; the Demon Emperor wasn't even supposed to comprehend the notion of remorse. And the Lelouch Lamperouge who'd lived at Ashford Academy certainly wasn't supposed to have committed any of those dark deeds that keep coming back to haunt you. Rivalz, Milly, Nina, Shirley – he'd had no choice but to hide everything from them. He had even kept his identity hidden from Kallen, who had both been his friend when he was a student and one of his most trusted Black Knights when he'd been Zero.

_And he couldn't tell me then, because I would have been horrified and I would have rejected him._ She swallowed._ I did reject him. I told him I had never wanted Zero, I told him he was wrong to use Geass. I tried to make him surrender to Damocles. I even said he was despicable. _(Your Highness?) _A heartless man. A demon…_ Tears rolled down her cheeks. _At least his torments are over. He can sleep, now. He won't suffer any more._

'Your Highness, are you alright?'

Nunnally jumped. She had not noticed the attendant who'd stepped in front of her and was now looking at her, concerned. In fact she had not even noticed her other attendant had stopped moving her wheelchair.

'Thank you' she said weakly. 'It's- it's passed.'

The woman who'd brought Nunnally back to her senses surveyed her Princess carefully. A frown appeared on her face, and she took out a handkerchief. Nunnally sat still as the woman did her best to fix the damage her tears had done on her make-up. And then she thought of something.

'You don't have to make a perfect job of this' Nunnally told her attendant, her voice recovering.

'We can't afford to have you look anything less than regal, your Highness' the woman clucked disapprovingly.

'These people know it pained me to lose my brother, evil though he was' Nunnally said. 'They are already going to be surprised I'm feeling up to a top-level meeting less than a day after they've seen me a wreck over my brother's dead body. It might seem suspicious to some if I appear to be perfectly composed.'

'But the pride of the country-'

'This is an order' Nunnally said calmly.

The attendant looked like she was about to protest, but she thought better of it.

'Thank you' the Princess said. 'Would one of you please find me a mirror? I'd like to see what this looks like for myself.'

Nunnally closed her eyes and drew a slow, deep breath, careful to hold herself still as she did. Evidently Cornelia's people seemed to think her younger sister shouldn't be trusted to know what she was doing. Nunnally remembered the voice of the administrator she'd worked with during her tenure as Viceroy of Area 11 (she could not picture the woman's face, as she had never seen it). Ms. Rohmeier had often argued with her over the administration of Area 11. Nunnally remembered vividly a conversation during which the administrator had sharply rebuked her by saying a Viceroy was not an Empress. _Well, I'm about to become one_ she told herself. _I won't be a tyrant, but I'll need to make my entourage understand they have to respect my decisions_.

_An Empress…_ As she inspected her face, Nunnally couldn't suppress a wry smile. _You could have warned me this job wasn't easy, big brother!_

'v'

Nunnally was surprised to discover Zero standing alone in the narrow, high-ceilinged antechamber of the conference room she had been led to.

'Nunnally' Zero said, acknowledging her presence.

His voice sounded exactly like the modulated voice of Lelouch had when her brother had been wearing that mask. It was also the first time she was seeing Zero standing in front of her. In their shadowy environment, the masked man's appearance was rather unsettling.

Nunnally forced a small smile. 'Zero. I am pleased to meet you. Have the others arrived yet?'

'They are waiting for us as we speak. But first there is a matter we must discuss alone.'

Nunnally's smile grew wider, albeit a bit sad. The voice sounded like Lelouch's, and the wearer of the mask had evidently trained himself to phrase and accent his speech like Zero's. However Nunnally's ears had been sharpened during her years of blindness, and she could pick up the tiny differences between her brother's voice and this Zero's. She knew what subtle clues to listen for to confirm Zero's identity - articulations between syllables, slight tonal inflection on a vowel. It left no place for doubt in Nunnally's mind: _This is Suzaku_.

Nunnally's meddlesome attendant was talking to her: 'This might be risky, your Highness' she said as though Zero wasn't even present.

'I have nothing to fear from this man' Nunnally replied confidently.

'His murder of the Demon Emperor doesn't make him respectable' the woman countered. 'This man is a terrorist.'

'True' Zero intervened. 'In fact I am going to remind you of a better reason not to leave Princess Nunnally alone in my company: I am a proven enemy of the Royal Family of Britannia.'

Nunnally's attendants were too stunned by Zero's admission to reply. The Princess decided to let him handle the situation.

He was going straight for the throat.

'You will of course be aware of the reasons I killed three members of the Royal Family' he said. 'Prince Clovis, Princess Euphemia, Emperor Lelouch, all three of them have issued at least one order to massacre civilians. Those massacres were all avoidable. Still they gave the word. The Prince and Princess were punished because their actions were typical of the Britannia their father had inherited. Had Emperor Lelouch not beat me to that post I would have killed Emperor Charles as well, because he would not change his country for the better. I killed his successor after he made Britannia even worse.

'But I will not raise my hand against Princess Cornelia' he continued, 'even though I have cause to do so: she has amended herself, and now she's serving justice. Why should I kill her? I will not raise my hand against Prince Schneizel, even though he committed great crimes of his own: he has no more power. The people of this world do not need me to punish him. Why should I deny their right to judge him for his crimes?

'And now Princess Nunnally speaks with the voice of Britannia. Lest she tries to force another reign like her father's or her brother's on us, why should I harm her?'

Nunnally couldn't help but admire the skill Suzaku displayed in his imitation of the original Zero. Not only had he worked on his acting and his modes of speech, he had also trained to copy Zero's public stances. He seemed just as masterful in the execution of his speeches: neither of Nunnally's attendants seemed to find anything to reply.

'I see you can find no more reasons than I could' Zero finally said. 'And now that you know Princess Nunnally has nothing to fear in my company, I will ask you to leave. Her Highness and I have to attend top-level business before we can join the others.'

'Her Highness has to-'

Nunnally had raised her hand and cut the meddling woman short. 'Thank you for your concern. It has been noted.' There was no mistaking the warning in the Princess' tone. 'You may leave, now.'

Her other attendant left. The woman stood and looked at Zero, evidently anxious to find some sign of danger to point at. Nunnally knew she wasn't going to: not even the people closest to Lelouch had been able to discern his intentions when he was wearing the mask. She suppressed a smile. _Big brother is still around to help me_.

Nunnally broke the silence. 'You are keeping important people waiting' she said in a level tone.

Finally, the meddlesome attendant admitted her defeat, and she left sullenly, leaving Nunnally alone with Zero.

The masked man dropped his haughty manner. Now that they were alone, he sagged onto the plush velvet of the benches that lined the side of the antechamber. His interlocutor couldn't see his expression, of course, but Nunnally knew in this instant that Suzaku was going through the same kind of ordeal she had been – and it might even be worse: not only Suzaku had to deal with the death of his best friend, he also had to contend with the fact he'd dealt him the killing blow. He needed somebody to share his pain with; someone who could comfort him, like Milly and Rivalz had done for Nunnally. In fact Nunnally was sure she was the only one Suzaku could confide in.

And indeed he tried to open his heart. 'Nunnally-' he began, but she stopped him.

'I know.' She swallowed. 'I'm sorry you had to do this' she said sadly. She was talking both about her brother's murder and Suzaku's assumption of Zero's role.

Suzaku tried to speak a second time: 'I-' He gasped.

But Nunnally had to deny him. She had no way to be sure they weren't overheard in some manner, and if by misfortune somebody listened to Suzaku confessing to her, Lelouch would have died for nothing. She shook her head. 'I'm sorry, Zero', and she laid emphasis on the name. 'I understand your reasons and I'm aware of the consequences of your actions. But I don't want to hear about them.'

That was the best Nunnally could offer him, and she knew it was much less than he really needed. All she could do now was help Suzaku find the strength to resume playing his part as Zero.

She gave him a few moments. Then, much like she had done earlier with Cornelia, she took charge of resuming their conversation: 'You said we had to attend to an important matter before I meet the others.'

Zero nodded, but he kept his silence.

'What was that matter?'

'I need information before we can proceed.' It was still the sound of Lelouch's voice, altered by evident discomfort, but it was steady. Suzaku seemed to have picked himself up.

'What kind of information do you seek?' Nunnally said.

'You are about to announce whom Britannia intends to succeed the Demon Emperor. You will give me that person's identity.'

Nunnally blinked with surprise. She had not expected such an abrupt demand. And as the future ruler of Britannia, she couldn't let herself run over roughshod, not even by Suzaku. 'Is it necessary?' she asked.

Zero did not reply. He got up from the bench and went to place himself in front of the massive doors to the conference room. One unblinking eye stared at Nunnally from each of the doors, and Zero stood between them. Once more Nunnally had the uncomfortable impression her big brother was watching.

She even felt like he might be disapproving of her, and when Suzaku spoke again, he seemed to do it with Lelouch's words: 'You won't be meeting the other leaders until I've heard the name of the Demon Emperor's intended successor.' It was not a threat, but a statement.

Nunnally's discomfort turned into resentment. Was this how things were going to be? She would not comfort Suzaku, so he was going to get his revenge by forcing his will on her? Or was he simply going to ignore her feelings and manipulate her ruthlessly whenever he felt the need to? Whichever the explanation for his behavior was, Nunnally couldn't submit meekly to Zero's demand.

Trying not to focus on the cold glares of Zero's mask and "Emperor Lelouch's eyes", Nunnally surveyed her options. If she would not submit to Zero's will (and in a sense, to her brother's) she could leave, or she could raise an outcry. Trying to force her way past Zero on her own was out of question. On the other hand, if she left the antechamber, she could summon people to get Zero out of her way, but the impression left would be even more disastrous than her just turning away and silently giving up her claims. If she used force against Zero, she'd be acting in the same way as the Demon Emperor, and the other leaders would react accordingly: _Not good_. Raising an outcry seemed hardly better: in the public eye, Zero was the hero who had freed the world from the tyranny of Emperor Lelouch. If she aggravated him here, there was a good chance the other rulers would support her – they knew the identity of the original Zero and had reason to be wary of him – but then Zero would publicly disapprove of her, and she'd lose her claims to the throne. Her discussion with Cornelia and her understanding of Lelouch's final plan had convinced Nunnally that outcome unacceptable. But the only way to stop Zero would be to completely prevent him from speaking publicly, and this would discredit her _and_ the other rulers. Which was the worst-case scenario.

This was checkmate. She had to submit.

'I am the candidate to the throne of Britannia' she said grudgingly.

Zero did not reply. In fact he did nothing to acknowledge her claim. He simply turned and opened the doors, and then he stepped aside for her. Nunnally saw, then, that she had actually been led to her brother's throne room.

She gasped with surprise. Lelouch had had his throne room built in the exact semblance of their father's private audience chamber in his Pendragon palace.

'This room is a symbol of how no significant changes ever happen in Britannia' Zero said, and Nunnally was shocked to realize he was actually replying to her thoughts. 'Now come. The chairwoman of the United Federation of Nations and the CEO of the Black Knights will want to know if you intend to uphold this tradition.'

Nunnally chose not to reply. It seemed more prudent to her. She was positive the man who'd taken on the mantle of Zero was Suzaku, even disguised by the modulator it was _his_ voice. But his behavior, his use of their environment to manipulate her feelings, and his ruthless manner of dealing with a friend were all signs that something was terribly wrong.

A chilling idea took hold of Nunnally's brain. There was a very simple explanation for Suzaku's behavior, one which could be summed up in one word: Geass. Nunnally knew her brother's power could force people to behave completely out of character. His Geass could even transform people into his slaves without altering their intellectual abilities. And as one who had been subjected to his Geass, she knew that one wasn't even conscious of anything one was doing under its influence. You could try to resist Geass – she certainly had tried – but its compulsions had been incredibly powerful, and Nunnally doubted it was possible to resist them for more than a few seconds before passing out.

Suzaku being subjected to Geass could explain not only his apparent semblance to Zero, but also the alterations in his behavior towards Nunnally. She was certain he had attempted to reveal his identity to her. Maybe he had even fought a desperate battle against Geass to make his attempt to talk to her - before she rebuked him and Geass' power reasserted itself. Then Suzaku had become the same monster Lelouch had been when he'd been wearing Zero's mask. Worse still, she realized Suzaku may not even have been aware of having killed Lelouch, and he would only have returned to consciousness with a bloody sword in his hand and his friend's bleeding corpse lying below him.

Nunnally hardly noticed Zero wheeling her chair into the throne room – she was too far lost in thought to notice. She was still certain her brother had intended to create a world without war. But now that she was confronted with the very real possibility her brother had destroyed the mind of the man who'd been his best friend, and she could not think of any other purpose for doing so than the sick need to keep manipulating the world when he lay in his grave.

_Maybe he __was__ a monster after all_…

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N**: Enter Zero. There's actually a rational explanation behind Suzaku's behavior with Nunnally. A fair warning though: it is twisted. We _are_ talking about Zero ;)


	4. Turn 01 Part 3

**A/N**: Surprise, surprise! I... don't own Code Geass. But it was such a nice dream :(

'v'

* * *

'v'

Near Tokyo settlement. Shinjuku redevelopment zone, section five. The same night.

The night had brought three surprises to Kallen Kouzuki, and the strawberry-haired knightmare ace would rather have done without them.

Her first surprise had come after nearly eight hours of the celebrations that had followed the assassination of the man everybody was now calling the Demon Emperor. Just like Kallen knew they would when she'd realized what Lelouch had done, the overpowering armed force which had been terrifying the entire world for two months had melted like snow in the desert. In less than an hour all of the Emperor's men in Tokyo had surrendered to, escaped or been killed by the crowds led by Princess Cornelia, of all people, and a spontaneous celebration of colossal proportions had begun in the city. Kallen had tried to go and comfort poor Nunnally but had not reached her. Kallen had no regrets there: Lelouch's sister had completely broken over her brother's body, and it was lucky Cornelia's men had whisked her away before she could witness the defilement of the dead Emperor's body. Kallen herself couldn't have protected Nunnally from the grisly spectacle.

But Kallen hadn't been free to get anywhere near Nunnally after she'd been taken away, for reasons which had nothing to do with Cornelia. Kallen was famous for being the Order of Black Knight's top ace pilot, and throngs of the freed Japanese and Britannians had surrounded her and dragged her into their revelries. The young woman had done her very best to keep her temper, and it surprised her she'd managed to stay calm enough that she could spot and seize the first clear opportunity to escape the festivities that presented itself. As she'd sneaked through the streets left almost devoid of people by the massive party, Kallen actually regretted Lelouch had gone to such lengths to make himself hated: she'd have loved nothing more than to beat the truth into the most offensive revelers' heads, and she would have done it had she not been so afraid to give some people reasons to think twice about Lelouch's death.

The second surprise of the evening was somewhat more pleasant. After she'd left the celebrations, she'd decided to walk to Shinjuku. The former ghetto had been razed and was being completely rebuilt, so it meant one of the places tied to her memories of Lelouch was certain to be uninhabited. There was a snowball's chance in hell that any workers would have stayed at the massive building site, so she was pretty sure it was the one place where she could be alone with her memories. What she hadn't counted on was seeing just how far the reconstruction had progressed. Nunnally had started that project only some months ago, and it was evident Lelouch had done everything in his power to keep the construction of the new Shinjuku moving forward. Of course – and she actually laughed when she saw the signs on the fences of one nearly-completed residential complex – every single feature had received a name that evoked the Demon Emperor: 'The Emperor's Corner', 'Lelouch Park', and other names of the kind. The whole project was supposedly a grand "imperial residential quarter for diplomatic guests". All those names seemed to have been designed to club Lelouch's subjects in the face, yet it was one of the cleverest deceptions Kallen had ever seen: the signs and names would vanish just as quickly as the other traces of the reviled Emperor's reign, but the homes, the parks and the fountains would stay, and the people who'd enjoy living in this new Shinjuku would never suspect Lelouch had actually built it all for them.

And then she'd remembered nobody would ever be thanking Lelouch for anything he'd done for them, her smile had evaporated, and she'd done what she could to dull the edge of that new grief, because she hadn't yet reached the particular building site she wanted to visit.

The third surprise was definitely one she disliked. She'd gone back to Shinjuku because she'd wanted to be alone, and when she spotted Tōdō leaning on the inside wall of a residential complex she'd been walking to, she knew she couldn't have randomly stumbled on him. The samurai was there because Kallen was there.

'Tōdō-san, please leave me alone' she said, trying to hide her grief and to sound polite – and not quite succeeding at either.

Tōdō didn't reply. He simply shook his head.

Kallen insisted. 'Please just go away. I don't want to talk to anybody.'

'And I want to talk to you' the samurai replied calmly.

'Well it'll have to wait' Kallen said, starting to lose what little grip she still had on her temper.

'Just because I talk doesn't mean you have to reply' Tōdō stated simply.

Kallen looked him in the face. The samurai was impassive as always, and it infuriated the strawberry-head. She couldn't share her grief. How was she supposed to make Tōdō understand she needed to be alone? Punch him in the face? 'Just leave' she hissed, on the verge of tears. 'I don't want to argue with you.'

'We don't need to argue' Tōdō said. 'I think we both agree.'

Kallen snapped. 'On what?' she shouted. 'On my stupidity for sulking when everybody's dancing in the streets? You think I should go back and behave and smile and pretend to be happy? 'cause I'm not, and I don't want the company of people who _are_ happy!' She stepped in front of Tōdō, her hands balled into fists, ready to pounce if he didn't move.

Tōdō wasn't impressed. 'There should be six people besides yourself who realized Lelouch sacrificed his life for the good of this world' he said. Kallen had moved to punch him and froze in mid-swing: she had expected anything but this. Tōdō didn't blink. 'You couldn't stand the company of others any longer because you couldn't keep pretending to be happy when they kept hurting you with all they said about Lelouch and Zero. You felt the need to be alone with your grief, and what better place for that than the place you encountered Zero for the first time?'

Kallen withdrew, and she turned her back to Tōdō. He saw her hugging herself. 'Why are you here?' she asked after a few seconds, her voice shaking.

Tōdō began to enumerate a list of people: 'Zero obviously knows what happened, but he couldn't come here without people following him. That C.C. woman ('That harlot!' Kallen interjected) was still with him and she shared most of his secrets, but she was seen by Lelouch's side and she'll be hunted – and I don't think you'd like to see her.'

'Oh, I don't know that' Kallen said sarcastically.

Tōdō ignored the barb Kallen at aimed at the green-haired girl, and he went on with his enumeration: 'Xingke hardly knows you, so he wouldn't be any help. Princess Nunnally couldn't have come here on her own, and even if she could she must be too devastated to have thought about you. Lelouch is dead; only his memories are here, and going back to the past isn't going to comfort you.'

The strawberry-head was about to protest, but a vision flashed in her mind and she stopped. The last time she'd come here, she had been the one who'd followed a friend to try and help him through his grief. And she remembered the terrible instant she saw Lelouch about to inject Refrain into his veins, so desperate he was to return to his past. Just like her mother had been.

Kallen swallowed. Tōdō was right. Memories allowed you to forget your pain for a while, but the pain was still in the present, waiting for you. Now she understood why Tōdō had come to her: 'Memories alone won't help you, but sharing them with someone who cares will.' She'd turned to face the samurai as she spoke these words, her voice heavy with the tears she was holding back. 'Thanks for coming, Tōdō-san.'

He shrugged. 'I was the only one who could. Care to sit down?' He'd gestured at one of the low white stone-benches that already lined the future patches of lawn.

They lowered themselves onto the bench.

Come to think of it, Kallen was glad she was with Tōdō. He was probably old enough to be her father, so he couldn't have come with an oddly romantic idea in mind the way a man like Gino would. He wasn't her friend, but they didn't need to be friends: they'd known each other for a while now, and they respected each other as warriors. They were people of their word. They'd fought for the same causes, and they shared similar ideals. Kallen had sought to emulate the samurai. Tōdō was one. She could talk to him.

'I… was piloting a Glasgow' she said, her voice trailing, her dark blue eyes vague. 'We'd stolen a capsule of poison gas from Britannia, and I'd jumped into our knightmare to protect our driver, Nagata, while he attempted to escape. I ran into a Sutherland. Its pilot was good. We were evenly matched. Our knightmares weren't, so I had to run away. I didn't think I could get rid of him, and he had a partner. Then Lelouch told me to get on the rail-line and jump on the incoming train if I wanted to win.' She motioned in the direction of the line. It was one of the few features of the old Shinjuku still in existence.

'I don't know how he contacted me' Kallen admitted. To this day she didn't know all Lelouch had done was picking up a transponder she'd left behind. 'We were using an encrypted channel and he'd found out about it. I did as I was told, and Lelouch helped me destroy both Sutherlands. He'd stolen another of Britannia's knightmares.

'There were spare Sutherlands in the train. Lelouch called Ōgi and the rest of our group, and he said he was giving the Sutherlands if we were ready to enter his service.'

'And you did just that, even if you didn't know who he was' Tōdō said quietly.

'It almost worked' Kallen reminisced. 'We destroyed most of Clovis' forces. Then Lancelot showed up and it all went wrong.'

'Suzaku' Tōdō mused.

'Yes. We didn't know who he was, obviously. We just thought everything was ending in a complete fiasco. I helped Lelouch escape – I still didn't know it was him, he hadn't even said he was Zero.'

'Probably because he hadn't made up that name yet' Tōdō offered.

'He couldn't have. In fact when he contacted me later Ōgi and I thought he was Suzaku. I didn't expect to meet Zero.'

'But when he showed up you followed him' Tōdō said.

Kallen sighed. 'We weren't enthusiastic. Shinjuku had almost ended in disaster. We didn't know he'd made Clovis order the ceasefire that saved our lives, we only knew that he'd disappeared somewhere. Then we met Zero, and he wouldn't show up his face. None of us wanted to believe war with Britannia was possible, and he wanted us to do just that.'

'I didn't think it was possible either' Tōdō admitted. 'I thought Zero was one of the better fighters in the resistance, but that he wasn't all that different from the rest of us, just better than most. He was stylish, and he was brilliant, and his claim of having killed Prince Clovis rang true. Then he announced the existence of the Order of Black Knights and I started to think his goal was to defeat Britannia, but I didn't believe he could do it. Apparently you believed him.'

'We didn't at first' Kallen confessed, blushing. 'It was… a tense encounter. We thought he was a little ridiculous, standing there with the mask and the fancy clothes and lecturing us about morals and high principles. In the end the only ones who gave him a chance to prove he wasn't all talk were Ōgi and me. It was only the three of us who rescued Suzaku; none of the others would risk their lives participating. And I don't know about Ōgi, but when Zero started taunting Jeremiah I thought we were doomed.'

'And then you witnessed a miracle' Tōdō said thoughtfully.

'Yes.'

Kallen realized it was good to just sit there and talk about the past. Even though not all of her memories of Lelouch were good ones.

And one of those memories was connected with Shinjuku.

'I…' Kallen blushed. 'I met Lelouch here again. One year later.'

'He was planning to make another grandstand at Shinjuku?' Tōdō asked.

'Not at all… In fact it happened when nobody could reach Zero, after we'd failed to capture Nunnally on her way to Tokyo.'

'You're on first-term names with the young Princess?' Tōdō noted, surprised.

'I've met her at Ashford Academy' Kallen explained. 'She's Lelouch's sister.'

'Not just a half-sister?'

'No, they also had the same mother' Kallen said. 'Nunnally used to live at the Academy with her brother, and he really loved her. She disappeared right after the Black Rebellion.'

'So that's why he made our headquarters at that school during the Black Rebellion' Tōdō said thoughtfully 'He wanted to make sure his sister was out of harm's way.'

Kallen nodded. 'Yes, and he tried to protect our other student friends too.'

'Minami told me you'd gone after Zero when he left the battle' Tōdō said. 'Did you ever find out why he'd left us behind?'

Kallen swallowed. She had done her best to forget the terrible instant when Suzaku had revealed it was actually Zero who had given the order to murder thousands of innocents at the Special Administrative Zone of Japan, and that he had used a power named Geass to force Princess Euphemia to start the massacre. It was the instant when she'd discovered Zero was Lelouch, and he'd been hiding the fact from her all that time. And it was the first time she turned her back on him.

Kallen suddenly regretted being with Tōdō. _Damn it!_ she thought, _why does he have to be so perceptive?_

That he was. 'You found him, and you found out about Geass.' Kallen stared at Tōdō, astonished. 'You found out he'd given the order for the massacre at the SAZ. So you left him behind, and he was captured. And then something happened, not long afterwards, and you had regrets.'

On second thought, Kallen definitely didn't regret she was with Tōdō. 'C.C. happened' she managed, her voice shaking.

'C.C.?'

'I found her on the shore of the island where Lelouch had gone' Kallen said. 'It was Kaminejima.'

'What was he looking for at Kaminejima?' Tōdō asked.

'His sister. That's where Nunnally was first taken before they brought her back to Britannia.'

Tōdō was astonished. 'He abandoned the Black Rebellion to search for his _sister_?'

'I heard Lelouch say it, and C.C. confirmed it.'

'I would never have guessed he could love someone so much' Tōdō said, his voice filled with wonder.

'It's hard to believe, isn't it?' Kallen replied with a faint smile.

'When you look at what he did to her later, it certainly is' Tōdō said. 'Now I understand why it was so important to him that we capture her on her way to Japan and during the second battle for Tokyo.'

'That was why he wouldn't come to that conference with Schneizel on the _Ikaruga_. We all thought Nunnally was dead, and he was broken. I saw him. And then… you called him out. I was…' Kallen hesitated. 'I knew you weren't going to give him a chance, but I believed in him, and I was… I was ready to die with him.'

Tōdō didn't reply. He just nodded.

The strawberry-head felt grateful for his silence – and for the help Tōdō gave her. Rather than let her chew on her memories or offer her his pity, he'd had the tact to start a conversation about Lelouch which was actually a mutually beneficial one. Tōdō clearly wanted to learn more about Lelouch – _Maybe he want to understand why he didn't anticipate Lelouch's actions before it was too late_ Kallen mused – but the samurai didn't push her – on the contrary he supported her when she was faltering – and he respected her intimacy.

She decided that she could tell Tōdō what really bothered her.

'He rejected me' Kallen said in a small voice. Tōdō let her go on at her own pace. 'That which I asked him on the _Ikaruga_' she said, and Tōdō knew she'd asked what Lelouch thought of her. 'I asked him again after he became Emperor. We were on our own, and I thought he'd say something. But-' she heaved – 'he didn't say or do a thing. He just… stood there.'

Kallen turned her head to lock her gaze with Tōdō's. She felt more vulnerable than she ever remembered feeling, and it took all her courage to try and ask the question that mattered to her: 'Do you think… he meant…'

She faltered.

Tōdō prompted her with a simple question: 'If he'd given you that mask, would you have killed him?'

Kallen looked down. When her answer came, it was barely a whisper.

'No.'

'v'

Tōdō had been long since gone when Kallen finally left Shinjuku. That he'd left her alone when she finally broke into tears didn't bother the strawberry-head: she knew the samurai had left because she didn't want anyone to see her grieving.

And she was grateful for what he'd done. She still had no idea whether Lelouch had ever loved her and she probably never would, but at least she understood why Lelouch had frozen on that day she'd kissed him in those stairs: he had decided to die, and he must have known that if he didn't reject her, he would only make her suffer even more as she watched him die, powerless to stop him, and then because she'd have lost even more than she had when he was killed. Lelouch had shielded her from all that pain, and that meant she had not just been one of his pawns, but that he'd really cared for her. She wouldn't have settled for that had he lived, but he was dead. And strange though it felt, his rejection of her now comforted her: just like the signs on the walls of Shinjuku, it had been another deception to hide the best Lelouch could offer.

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N**: We finally meet Kallen.

I realized this story has a good chance to reach the 20k words mark before we read the first word spoken by its main character. I think Lelouch is somehow contagious, he's making me just as twisted as he is!


	5. Turn 01 Final Part

**A/N**: It's alive! Don't ask for how long, don't tell :p

'v'

* * *

'v'

The Palace of Emperor Lelouch; the Throne Room

'v'

It was soon evident to Nunnally that she wasn't the only one who had reservations about the new Zero. 'Before we discuss the future of Britannia, we need a few explanations from you' Xingke had asked almost without preamble.

'Ask whatever is on your mind' the masked man replied impassibly.

'I'll stick to important concerns' Xingke said coldly. 'We all know you are not the original Zero. That man relied on our ignoring his identity to hide his true intentions and motives, and in the end it turned out his only interest in the Black Knights was to use us as disposable pawns to achieve his own set of goals. The rank-and-file of the Order of the Black Knights never learnt of this betrayal, but several hundred members of our higher ranked members know it happened, who manipulated them and how. They won't accept you if they don't know your identity.'

'That demand is a waste of time' Zero replied flatly. 'It's not the person inside the mask which determines Zero's authenticity; his actions account for that.'

'Indeed, and the first Zero betrayed us' Xingke countered. 'Zero's own actions make your identity relevant.'

'Oh.' There was no mistaking the sarcasm in Zero's voice. 'Then I suppose you won't mind telling the rank-and-file of the Black Knights who the original Zero was when you explain why you refuse me.'

'That must not happen!' Kaguya exclaimed herself.

'We will not tell them' Xingke reassured her.

Zero pressed his advantage: 'Then how are you going to explain them you and the members of your staff refuse to follow my lead?'

Both men glared at each other. 'There are means to make this issue as irrelevant as that of your identity' Xingke said, and there was no mistaking the threat in his voice.

The discussion was going nowhere, and Kaguya stared at both men, one after the other. She looked utterly helpless.

Nunnally decided to intervene. Xingke's reasons were sound, but there was something he did not take into account – something, Nunnally thought wryly, which might have escaped her sister Cornelia's attention. 'I trust Zero' she declared boldly, earning herself a surprised look from both Xingke and Kaguya. 'I trust Zero because the public trusts Zero.'

'That is beside the point' Xingke countered. 'The leaders of the Black Knights won't trust him.'

'_That_ is what's beside the point' Nunnally said calmly. 'Zero is seen by the common folk as the man who saved them from the Demon Emperor. That's all they care about. If the Black Knights reject Zero, the people will reject the Black Knights.'

'They won't if we explain things properly to them' Xingke said.

'How are you going to explain why you failed where Zero succeeded?' the masked man said.

'Zero isn't exempt of failures' Xingke replied calmly. 'The Black Rebellion ended with a complete disaster, and Zero's attack on Japan a year later resulted in thirty million innocent deaths when the first FLEIJA was released.'

'Yes, and immediately after that it was announced Zero had died from severe wounds received in that battle' the masked man countered calmly. 'Yet I am here. One might wonder whether Zero might have been… betrayed?'

That last word fell like a hammer blow.

'Gentlemen, don't-' Kaguya began, but she was interrupted.

'They won't' Nunnally said as she gave both men a frosty stare. 'Are we agreed that our gathering is taking place in the seat of power of the Holy Empire of Britannia?' she asked with a hint of challenge in her voice.

'We are' Kaguya said hesitantly.

'At least until Japan's independence has been properly restored' Xingke added with a note of warning in his voice.

'We will speak of that matter later' Nunnally said. 'As for now, since Britannia is the host of the present conference, and in the absence of a formal chair, since the UFN are one of the parties in this conference, it follows that the ruler of the hosting power is entitled to suspend talks on any matter in which she is not directly involved if she deems it suitable and presents a reasonable argument. Or am I mistaken?'

Xingke looked at Kaguya for askance, and the young girl nodded weakly, staring at Nunnally in astonishment.

'Good' Nunnally said. 'Lady and gentlemen, I happen to be the Crown Princess of the Holy Empire of Britannia, the current head-of-state waiting for her coronation, and as your hostess here I deem unsuitable the continuation of any talks about the place Zero shall take in the Order of the Black Knights, as it is evident the parties involved aren't going to reach an agreement tonight. I propose we move on to other matters.'

Both Xingke and Kaguya nodded their agreement, the latter thankfully, the former carefully studying the young Princess.

'Sir Zero?' Nunnally asked.

'Yes, I think it's wise too' the masked man finally said. 'I'll have, however, to voice some concerns in the light of the information you just gave us.'

'I too will have a few questions to ask' Xingke said.

'Let's hear them, then' Nunnally said with a smile. 'I will try and answer your questions as best I can; just remember that it hasn't even been a day since I assumed my current position, and I haven't had time to form a government or to define the new political stance of Britannia.'

'Point taken' Zero said with a touch of irony. 'Please go ahead' the masked man told Xingke with a courteous nod.

'My first question is about Japan: are you prepared, once this conference is over, to make an announcement stating the release of Japan from the Holy Empire of Britannia?'

'I am' Nunnally replied, 'though a formal Japanese government and administration will have to exist before Japan is handed over, and I can't return Tokyo itself to Japan until our capital has been moved.'

'Those seem to be acceptable terms' Kaguya said, 'at least they are to me.'

'They are to me as well' Xingke said, 'as long as Britannia doesn't stay in Japan longer than is strictly necessary.' He went on. 'My second question is also addressed to Miss Kaguya, as the chairwoman of the UFN. I imagine that every member of the UFN will be asked to renounce to their own military force again, and the Order of the Black Knights will resume its role as the UFN's military contractor?'

Kaguya nodded. 'As soon as we can reverse the decisions made under the pressure of Emperor Lelouch, we'll restore the former conventions with the Order of the Black Knights.'

'And is Britannia prepared to hand over all of its armaments as soon as this will be done, as a member of the UFN and therefore bound by its rules?'

'I cannot answer this question right now' Nunnally said with an apologetic smile. 'I would do it, but I will need counseling on the matter.'

'Counseling from?' Xingke asked sharply.

'From my government, as soon as it is formed' Nunnally replied, 'and notably from Princess Cornelia.'

You will have no choice in the matter' Xingke said. 'The last country which ought to be allowed even a symbolic military is Britannia.'

'As I said' Nunnally replied calmly, 'I need counsel before I make a decision on that particular matter.'

'You may very well risk being expelled from the UFN if you don't satisfy this demand' Xingke said meaningfully, drawing a glare from Kaguya.

'I think we should keep in mind one fact while we argue here tonight' she said. 'It is our responsibility to make sure we preserve the peace Zero has gained for us when he killed Emperor Lelouch. For the first time in centuries none of the countries on Earth are at war or are making preparations for war. I don't think any of us here want to risk this peace, no matter how serious our disagreements or our conflicts of interest.'

The other three nodded. Kaguya's words were wise words.

The chairman of the UFN went on. 'Our arguments about Zero's position in the Order of the Black Knights or Britannia's status in regard with the UFN are perfect examples of what we mustn't do.' Nunnally and Xingke winced, but Kaguya ignored them. 'Rather than arguing, we should be working together to find solutions to both these problems.'

'There's no need' Zero let fall. 'I already have a solution for them both.'

Kaguya winced.

Xingke intervened. 'And that solution is?'

'I will personally keep an eye on the government of Britannia until I am certain Lelouch vi Britannia's sister isn't also the Demon Emperor's sister' Zero said. 'This means, of course, that I won't be available to lead the Order of the Black Knights for as long as I stay with the Britannian government and make sure they stay in line.' The masked man turned to face Kaguya. 'Do you think the UFN would agree to appoint me to such a position?'

'It is possible' Kaguya said somewhat hesitantly.

'This would mean Xingke here' and there was no missing the sarcasm in Zero's voice, 'would remain CEO of the Order of the Black Knights in fact, even though he may not be on paper.'

'You cannot-' the Chinese man began, but Zero cut him off.

'It is a perfect answer to the concerns of the higher ranks' the masked man said. 'This way your people won't have to worry about me and the Order's rank-and-file – and the rest of the world – won't be wondering why I'm not actually leading the Black Knights.'

'True' Xingke conceded grudgingly.

'Is this acceptable to everybody here?' Zero asked.

'I think it is' Kaguya said.

Nunnally remained silent. Once more she couldn't help but feel that even though it was Suzaku who wore the mask of Zero he was only a medium through which her dead brother kept controlling the world.

'Certainly your Highness has no reason to disagree with my proposal' Zero said matter-of-factly.

'Nunnally?' Kaguya said.

'I don't suppose I have a choice' the Princess said reluctantly.

'I didn't either' Zero said. 'Are we finished here?' and he stood up as he asked his question. 'I can only be absent from the celebrations for so long before I am missed.'

'I think we've covered the urgent points' Kaguya said. Nunnally nodded.

'I have one last question to ask the Britannian Crown Princess' Xingke said and he looked at Zero. 'I think you too may wish to know the answer to that one.'

'Lelouch has taken care of the Crown Princess from the moment they were both exiled here until the moment she was brought back to Pendragon on Emperor Charles' orders, and he displayed unwavering love for his sister the whole time' Zero said, earning himself a stunned glance from both Nunnally and Kaguya.

Xingke looked at the masked man with narrowed eyes. 'I was wrong about you' he said. 'You are the same as the original Zero.'

Nunnally shivered as she heard the Chinese man's words. Xingke may not know the man under the mask was Suzaku, but he definitely suspected Zero's garb served to conceal some means through which Lelouch was still active. And she was now terrified her old friend's mind may have been destroyed by Geass. Now Nunnally regretted she had not listened to Suzaku earlier when he had tried to confide in her: there was a very real possibility he would never get another chance to open his heart.

'v'

* * *

'v'

Coming next:

'You won't understand' Lelouch had said. 'I _have_ to die.'

'Of course' C.C. had replied sarcastically. 'You're not being selfish like some other people with a death wish.'

Not too many people have their hearts run through by a sword and live to tell the tale. Even fewer have to pretend they are dead when this happens for fear of causing many more deaths. Lelouch is one such person. The young man who was once Emperor now has to live in the world he created, a world no longer in his control, where the will of many is now free to challenge the will of the man who brought peace to the world.

Code Geass R3: Lelouch of the Redemption. Next turn: The Servant and the Cat.


	6. Turn 02: The Servant and the Cat

**A/N :** Surprise, surprise: I don't own Code Geass. Am working on it, though ;)

'v'

* * *

'v

The year is 2019 a.t.b.

Four months have passed since the death of the Demon Emperor Lelouch:  
Four months without war in the world, a premiere since more than a century.

Few people know Lelouch is the man who secured the peace, and even fewer know the means he employed to make peace possible:  
Geass, the power to give one absolute order to anyone.  
The Power of Kings has served its purpose.

But Lelouch did not truly die.  
Can the man with the Power of Kings truly renounce it?  
What makes him a King, embracing his power or forsaking it?

At this point, it is impossible to know.

'v'

* * *

'v'

**Code Geass R3: Lelouch of the Redemption**

**Turn 02 – The Servant and the Cat**

'v'

* * *

'v'

Britannia; New-Pendragon

'v'

Lelouch put his mug back on the makeshift table. 'And they call this coffee' he said with disgust.

'You really were too pampered, boy' C.C. replied. 'That drink is a lot better than many I've had.'

'Still, we could afford something more decent if you didn't spend so much on pizza' Lelouch countered – the battered chair he was sitting on creaked to emphasize the point.

'You're the one who won't go outside because he's too scared' C.C. said, cradling the cheese-kun on her lap.

Only a month before those words would have hurt Lelouch; now he only smiled. 'There's no use arguing with you, is there?' he said.

'Of course there isn't. I'm C.C., remember?' She smiled too.

Lelouch sighed. Those little arguments with his "accomplice" were about the liveliest events he'd experienced since he'd woken up to find he was being smuggled by C.C. to the Britannian Motherland. Not that the days which had followed had been uneventful. Lelouch had only agreed to help C.C. find a hiding place so that he could think of some way to die for good, an idea C.C. resolutely opposed.

It had been a hard time for both C.C. and Lelouch. That they'd managed to secure a small prefabricated home in the outskirts of the capital city Nunnally had founded was something of a small miracle considering the two accomplices had been hardly speaking to each other at the time they acquired it. They had been exchanging harsh words on quite a few occasions, and Lelouch had been reminded how good C.C. was at that kind of exchanges. There had been moments of sheer exasperation. 'You won't understand' Lelouch had once said. 'I _have_ to die.'

'Of course' C.C. had replied sarcastically. 'You're not being selfish like some other people with a death wish.'

Those words had acted like a wake-up call for Lelouch. He'd hated the sight of his accomplice embracing her coming death in the World of C - something C.C. had done because there had never really been a place where or a time when she had been happy. The reasons why Lelouch had not been able to see happiness in the future had indeed been different from C.C.'s, but that had hardly mattered. Lelouch knew exactly how it felt to watch someone you cared for choose death other life, and even though she wouldn't say it in so many words, C.C. evidently cared for him. And one of Lelouch's guiding principles was never to hurt when you aren't prepared to be hurt.

Still, what Lelouch experienced could hardly be qualified as "living"…

Neither he nor C.C. understood how he'd become immortal while retaining his permanent Geass. Nor was there a Code to be found anywhere on his body, as Lelouch had been rather embarrassed to learn from C.C.

C.C… The ageless witch was the only person for whom Lelouch was still Lelouch, pretty much the way only he knew C.C.'s true nature. Each of them was the only person for whom they could be themselves. Whenever anybody else was involved they had to either lie or pretend not to exist.

The latter option had been Lelouch's preferred one for quite a while. He could easily have gotten his hands on whatever was needed to disguise himself and forge a new identity if he'd used Geass, but the young man had resolved never to use that power again unless the only alternative was his identity being discovered. He needed to practice being someone else anyway before he could risk venturing outside again. Any slip-up could be disastrous; he had to stay locked inside his home until he was absolutely certain he wouldn't betray his true identity.

'Or you could put that mask back on' C.C. had once said, teasing him. But Suzaku was Zero now, and Lelouch had no intention to play that role again.

Distracted as he was by his musings, Lelouch had not seen C.C. fetch a smartphone she'd somehow gotten her hands on. 'Here' she said, handing it to Lelouch. 'I looked ridiculous enough asking a neighbor how to make that thing work, so you'd better enjoy the show.'

"The show" was a video recording of Nunnally meeting with and shaking hands with Ōgi, who was now Japan's first minister, and Suzaku wearing the mantle of Zero – _he's gotten used to this_ Lelouch mused, half-listening to the commentator who talked about the "historic conference" in which Britannia would release Japan from its status as "Area", the first of many scheduled to be returned by Britannia to their populations. So far Japan was the only Area where a local government was ready to take over from the Britannian administration.

Lelouch smiled wistfully as he saw his sister playing her part as Empress of Britannia. He had been surprised to find out she'd been the one to succeed him on the throne of the Holy Empire, yet he remembered their confrontation on Damocles, and how she'd pretty much chosen to make the sacrifice he himself had made. He'd protected her from the consequences of such a sacrifice, and now his little sister no longer needed his protection – what protection she needed, Suzaku would offer.

Once again, C.C. brought him back to the present. 'No thanks?' she said. 'You don't have regrets about this, do you?'

'Of course not.' Lelouch smiled sadly.

C.C. sat back down in front of him, and she resumed hugging her cheese-kun. 'This is all that will be left of her, eventually' C.C. said, carefully not looking at her accomplice.

'I have already given up on everybody' Lelouch said resolutely. He picked his coffee back up and bravely took a sip. 'The sole exception is a witch who just won't leave me alone.' He coughed.

There was a moment of silence. C.C. was still avoiding Lelouch's eyes, and he took to cradling the hot mug in his hands while his accomplice was absent-mindedly rocking her yellow stuffed toy.

Then, eventually: 'You don't hate me for what happened to you, do you?'

Lelouch fixed his gaze on her. 'Of course I don't' he said. 'Neither of us could have guessed I would stay alive.'

'It's not that.' C.C. hugged her cheese-kun even tighter. 'I'm responsible for you experiencing the same kind of existence I've been.'

'Wasn't it your plan when you first offered me a contract?' Lelouch said.

C.C.'s gaze dropped even lower. 'I'm sorry.'

'The fact you are is the reason I won't hate you' Lelouch put his mug down. 'Besides it's not like I have to face that life alone.'

C.C. opened her mouth as if to speak, but she said nothing.

Lelouch sighed. 'I give up.'

C.C. sighed. 'What a surprise' she said with exasperation.

'I mean, you didn't seriously expect me to drink all of this?' Lelouch said, starting towards the sink to empty his mug.

C.C. stared at him. 'Who cares about that coffee?'

'It was a nice thing to do' Lelouch replied simply. 'Thank you, C.C. I appreciate the gesture.'

C.C. blushed. Her gaze dropped back to the cheese-kun in her lap. 'That last part didn't sound like you' she mumbled.

'I thanked you for something, but I didn't say what' Lelouch replied.

C.C. snorted. 'Now _that_ is more like you.'

'You know that's the kind of trick expected from a warlock, don't you, witch?'

C.C.'s eyes found Lelouch, who was now standing with his back to the sink, facing her. 'You might yet become a pretty decent warlock, you know' she said with her peculiar grin.

'There are still many things I don't understand, though' he replied.

C.C. looked puzzled. 'Like what?'

'Like why it is always warlocks who do the dishes.'

C.C. couldn't help it. She laughed.

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N :** Did I hear "hiatus" in the back? ^^"

This story didn't leave my mind, and it's nice to read about people subscribing nearly a year after the last chapter was posted - it does bring a smile at the start of another day at work :) It's hard to write down anything resembling a decent chapter whe you don't get to write in longer than twenty-minute bursts, though ^^" Story planning is advanced, story writing is hopelessly behind :(

If people do still read and appreciate the beginning of this tale I'd be happy to know :) Hopefully I'll get down to a more manageable workweek after the winter and will be able to get to the meat of this story. I did drop a hint about how this is going to go very wrong, though ;)

See you around! -LB


	7. Turn 02 Part 2

**A/N : **I don't own Code Geass. I do own a cat named Arthur. Seriously.

'v'

* * *

'v'

The following evening; Tokyo, Ashford Academy

'v'

Rivalz Cardemonde sighed as he looked through the student council room's windows. He sighed not because of what could be seen, but because of what no longer could be: night had long since fallen over Ashford Academy yet Rivalz couldn't call it a day and head home. He was the student council President now (the first consequence of which had been a good bit of teasing from Millay) and was becoming painfully aware of just how much work was required to keep student activities running now that neither Millay nor Lelouch were around to do the heavy lifting.

Lelouch…

The last words of his late friend to Rivalz had been spoken on the phone right after a half of Tokyo had been vaporized by the first FLEIJA warhead. Rivalz had been surprised to hear Lelouch's most prominent worry at the time was that he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to come and light fireworks with everyone on Ashford Academy's half-disintegrated roof. And when he had actually come back to the Academy two months later it had been as the 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire. Lelouch had completely ignored Rivalz hailing him, and for good reason: he'd come back to Ashford Academy to issue a declaration of war to the whole world – nothing less! The worst part being that Lelouch had actually won that war, making himself the sole ruler of the world and the most hated man in the entire history of mankind in the process.

And then he'd been murdered.

Months after the event Rivalz still didn't know how he should remember his classmate. Should it have been as a great friend or as the monster he had become? Which of them was the real Lelouch? Instinct would have said the monster was, only Rivalz had made a nasty discovery at the time of his late friend's death which raised some highly significant questions, the first of which was just how Lelouch's father, Charles zi Britannia, had somehow erased Rivalz' and his friends' memories of Lelouch's sister Nunnally and made them all believe Lelouch actually had a brother named Rolo. Rivalz and Millay had spent quite a bit of time trying to find out what had been done to them, but even with Nina's help their efforts had been completely fruitless. The young genius had been abducted on the same day Lelouch revealed his intention to conquer the world, as Rivalz remembered all too well, and it turned out she had been made to work for Lelouch himself – alongside with, of all people, the same Lloyd Asplund to whom Millay had once been engaged. It had of course happened because of Nina's knowledge of the FLEIJA warhead, her terrifying brainchild. The specifics of Lelouch's demands were a secret Nina was keeping for herself, though. About the only thing she would consent to say about her time working for Lelouch was that she had not been working on any designs which had the potential to kill. Both Rivalz and Millay had tried to pick their friends' brains about Lelouch's intentions, and neither had succeeded. It was, however, another hint that the 'Demon Emperor' didn't quite fit the role of the inhumane tyrant he'd been at the pinnacle of his rule, and when you added that to Nunnally's obvious distress when she'd lost the brother she'd since disavowed in the firmest manner the picture started to become quite murky.

Rivalz had also tried to get Gino and Kallen involved in his "quest for the real Lelouch", especially since both enjoyed a much higher station than he or Millay did. Neither had proven particularly helpful. Gino didn't seem to know too much about Lelouch anyway, all he was able to conjure were a few stories from Lelouch's childhood as a Prince of Britannia. Kallen on the other hand seemed to know quite a bit about the real Lelouch. The problem with Kallen was that she definitely wasn't going to talk: she systematically clamped her lips shut whenever the subject of the "Demon Emperor" came up and she was listening. Those who tried to get the strawberry-head involved in these talks in spite of her clear reluctance only managed to make her ignore them ('Rivalz-san?'). It was almost as though she was afraid to say what was actually on her mind about Lelouch.

'Oy, Rivalz!'

Talk about the devil: Rivalz hadn't noticed Kallen standing right opposite the main desk, hands on her hips and an annoyed look on her face. Millay was standing close to her, and between the two of them was-

'Nunna-chan!' Rivalz jumped to his feet, knocking his chair back in the process.

'Took you long enough!' Kallen fumed (though it was evidently an act on her part).

'Please don't break any furniture on her Majesty's account' a filtered voice made – Rivalz gaped when he saw Zero himself at the door, standing right next to Gino. It wasn't the first time Zero had shown up at the student council room: over a year earlier, at the height of the Black Rebellion, the leader of the Order of Black Knights himself had come to Ashford Academy and set up his headquarters there. Kallen had been by his side, Rivalz remembered, and she had vouched for his and his friends' protection, though some of Zero's soldiers obviously didn't think a group of Britannian teenagers deserved the favor. It made Zero's presence there feel pretty awkward, something the leader of the Black Knights seemed to realize:

'I'll leave you in your friends' company, your Majesty' the masked man said, leaving the room, and Rivalz remembered Nunnally was now the Empress of the Britannian Empire – he turned beetroot-red as he realized he'd called her "Nunna-chan" moments before; the sight of his discomfiture elicited a snort of laughter from both Gino and Millay. 'Something wrong?' Millay teased Rivalz.

'Erm…'

'It's alright, Rivalz' Nunnally said kindly. 'We're all friends so we don't need to be formal with each other.'

Rivalz grinned sheepishly.

'Besides if you don't drop the formalities I'll call you Mister President' Nunnally added, causing more chuckles.

'You looked so cute when we came in' Millay teased. 'Something on your mind?'

'Now, now, Millay, let the man keep his secrets' Gino said, and he grinned as there was more laughter at their friend's expense – laughter which was cut off by a resounding 'Ouch!' coming from behind the door. It was Zero's voice. 'Oi, let go!' he said.

Kallen rushed to the door and opened – and gaped. 'Arthur?'

The same cat Suzaku had first brought to the student council was back, and he'd buried his teeth and two sets of claws in Zero's leg.

'Zero-squadron captain, could I have some help?' the masked man asked with evident discomfort.

Kallen was bumped aside by Millay. 'Oh, look who's here!' she exclaimed herself, and she bent to retrieve the vindictive cat. The feline looked bedraggled, as though it'd been through miserable days; it let himself be picked up by Millay, but his gaze remained fixed on Zero, just like Kallen's eyes were fixed on him.

'What's going on?' Nunnally's voice came from the Student Council room.

'We have a surprise guest!' a delighted Millay replied, taking the cat back inside the student council room. 'Rivalz, where did you put Arthur's stuff? Tell me you didn't throw everything away'

'Gino took care of that part' the boy replied.

'Oi, it's in Suzaku's old room' the Knight of Rounds said, 'want me to go and fetch it?'

'Fitting' Millay approved with a smile, 'but you'll be needing a hand to carry it all.

'Carry it all?' an evidently worried Gino said.

'Well he needs his bowls, his cushions, his toys, his cat tree, his...' Millay laughed at the horrified look her friend was giving him. She chortled. 'Yeah, I still remember how to order people around.'

Gino winced. 'I was afraid you might' he said. Nunnally chuckled.

'Don't worry.' Millay grinned. 'I know the very person to help you. Kallen!' she called, and then she noticed neither she nor Zero were there any longer. 'Kallen? Where did you go?'

'Maybe something's come up and she is with Zero' Nunnally said.

'Now of all times?' a disbelieving Gino said.

'She'll be back' Rivalz said confidently, and then with mock vindictiveness: 'She owes me!'

The group of friends laughed.

'Did you see him attack Zero?' Millay said with a proud voice as she scratched a purring Arthur.

'Yeah, it reminded me of how he behaved with Suzaku' Rivalz said, grinning.

'Did he?' Nunnally said, looking surprised.

Gino chuckled. 'Of course, he'd have told you everything was just fine even when four set of claws skewered his leg.'

'Zero wasn't as proud as Suzaku' Millay noted.

Nunnally smiled. 'Imagine being the most famous and most admired person in the world and having to follow a whimsical girl-'

'A whimsical Empress' Millay corrected, grinning.

'- and ending up in what looks like just another school to get yourself attacked by the local mascot' Nunnally continued. 'Sure puts fighting an enemy who controls the whole world in perspective.'

'I guess it would.' Gino chuckled. 'He seemed to fare much better against- hey!'

A panicked Arthur was flying straight at the blonde boy, paws first (probably because he'd just been thrown by Millay).

'Ouch!' The cat caught itself on Gino's chest and clawed his way to the relative safety of the Knight of Rounds' shoulder.

'You're supposed to be doing something!' Millay barked, making Gino (and poor Arthur) jump.

'Yes, your Highness' Gino replied with a mock bow.

'I'm coming with you' Millay added, 'there's no mountain two Ashfords can't move.'

Rivalz blinked. 'D'you need a hand?' he asked, sounding as unconcerned as he could manage.

'Why don't we all go?' Nunnally suggested.

'Who's going to keep Arthur company?' Millay asked.

'Arthur can sit on my lap' Nunnally said simply.

'He's going to ruin your dress' Gino observed.

'I'm glad to see him too' Nunnally said with a tart voice. 'Arthur, come here' she added, much more sweetly.

The cat jumped and landed on the young girl's lap where he settled down and lay purring contentedly.

'Now there's only one problem left to solve' Nunnally said.

'What problem?' Rivalz asked.

'Who is going to push my wheelchair?'

'v'

Meanwhile, far removed from this happy scene, Kallen and Zero had made their way to the clubhouse's roof.

'I can't believe you had the nerve to return' the strawberry-head was saying, more than a little aggravated.

'Kallen, please.'

'I should kill you' she fumed.

'Please get a grip on yourself' Zero hissed, 'you're going to get us in a world of trouble.'

'Just what were you thinking, coming back here of all places?'

'Nunnally wanted me with her' the masked man said defensively. 'I wouldn't have come had I known Arthur was there too.'

'You'd better hope nobody else understood the significance of that incident' Kallen growled. 'You do realize there must be people watching you, with you being such an important personality.'

'There are people watching _Nunnally_' Zero countered. 'I don't need to worry about them, Schneizel's in charge of those watchers'.

'Schneizel?' Now Kallen was shocked.

'He serves me' Zero said as an explanation.

'What do you mean by "he serves you?" ' Kallen asked, incensed. 'Just what game do you think you're playing?'

'A game planned by a very good player' Zero said, 'one just as good as Schneizel is. I'm merely following the plans he laid for me.'

Kallen stared at Zero for a moment. Then she turned to lean on the railings. 'Well that player didn't account for your cat' Kallen fumed.

'Only you realized what happened' Zero remarked. 'Nunnally seems to suspect something, but as far as I can tell she doesn't know for sure.'

'You don't think the others might have realized what Arthur's behavior means?' Kallen countered.

'Judging by how the scene played I don't think they did' the masked man said. 'Nunnally's certain to distract them; and if any of our friends have doubts, they'll tell her and I'll know. At any rate I can make sure they're keeping their suspicions for themselves.'

'With what, Geass?' Kallen said scornfully.

'Not Geass' Zero said. 'These days no living person should have that kind of power' he added. 'Lelouch's hunt of Geass users was pretty thorough.'

'What about C.C.?' Kallen inquired.

'I don't know where she is' Zero admitted. 'And it's besides the point.'

'Yeah, what matters is to make sure nobody spills the beans on you' Kallen said, her voice full of spite.

'You have no idea how important that is' Zero replied, and for the first time he sounded dangerous. 'My identity absolutely can't be exposed, and I'll do anything it takes to prevent it from happening.'

'I know how important it is, but I thought you'd feel more concerned at the idea of manipulating your friends' Kallen spat.

'I've paid a huge price to learn results are the only thing which truly matters' Zero replied with a level voice.

'You'd really set Schneizel on Millay and Rivalz if you thought you had to?'

'Without hesitation' Zero confirmed.

There was a moment of silence.

When Kallen spoke again, her voice was full of loathing. 'You know what?' she said. 'It doesn't surprise me you would. You've betrayed your father, your country, your friends… Such a trifle as stabbing schoolmates in the back won't bother you.'

'Don't think I like this' the masked man protested.

'You're placing your goals before the lives of your friends' Kallen countered. 'Even the real Zero knew better than to do that.'

'Zero betrayed you and the whole Order of Black Knights at the Specially Administrated Zone' the masked man reminded Kallen.

'No, he salvaged what he could from a complete disaster. I was the one who betrayed him at Kaminejima' the strawberry-head countered. 'And I've regretted it ever since.'

Kallen walked away without a look back at Zero.

The masked man really didn't have a choice, though. He couldn't afford to leave any possibility of his being identified to chance. Fortunately, Schneizel would know whether he needed to take measures at all… and whether it would soon be necessary for him to add yet another friend to the list of people he'd betrayed…

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N :** I didn't expect to be able to post again this early, proving I don't have Bismarck's Geass ;)

To those who take the time to read through and/or subscribe, your opinions would be most welcome :)


	8. Turn 02 Part 3

**A/N : **Last time I checked I still didn't own Code Geass or its characters. It's depressing me :/

'v'

* * *

'v'

Her Imperial Majesty's Flagship '_Temperance_'; the following night

'v'

The _Avalon_-class ship '_Temperance_' was barely a month fresh from the yards, yet it was one of the few places where Nunnally felt at peace these days. The young Empress had taken great care to have her quarters on-board modeled after her brother's on '_Avalon_'. She had pushed attention to detail right down to the library books and the chess board that sat on a low table at the center of the reception area. Presently the young ruler of the Holy Empire was sitting on one of the low divans which lined the board, contemplating the incursion of a dangerously-placed knight. Her opponent wasn't giving her any quarter and it suited Nunnally just fine; she'd offered Zero to play a game before they retired to respective quarters for reasons which had nothing to do with practicing her brother's favorite game and everything to do with Kallen being insufferable with Zero when he'd come to take Nunnally back to '_Temperance_' for the next leg of her diplomatic tour.

Nunnally intended to poke that dragon in the eye.

'Check' she announced, deliberately opening a gap for Zero to exploit – which he immediately did. Nunnally let escape a fake groan.

'Careless' Zero chided her.

'Blame it on my teacher' Nunnally countered. She moved a rook, and then hissed when she saw Zero's fingers reach for a bishop.

'Careless and reckless' he said, uncharacteristically vindictive. 'Check.'

'Are you taking out your nerves on me, Master Zero?'

Nunnally got the reaction she'd wanted: 'Maybe you've deserved my anger.'

'I never thought cats were so great at shortening Zero's temper' the young Empress said, and then she added, looking at Zero mischievously: 'I'll be sure to remember it.'

Even with the mask hiding his eyes Nunnally could feel the weight of Zero's stare. 'Don't _ever_ make that joke again' he hissed.

'Arthur definitely seems to have touched a nerve' Nunnally said, and she realized her voice was quivering slightly. Still she wasn't going to stop now. 'It's almost-'

'Not another word' Zero said, standing as he spoke. Now he towered over Nunnally. 'Come with me' he said brusquely. 'We need to talk.'

'I guess we do' the young girl replied seriously. 'Help me into that chair and we shall.'

'v'

No one ever set foot in Zero's private chambers, either on board '_Temperance_' or in his lodgings in Tokyo and New-Pendragon. The masked man was notoriously paranoid about the presence of any watching or listening devices in his quarters, as an overambitious spy had learnt quite permanently only a couple of weeks earlier. Zero's lethal reaction to the invasion of his privacy had not surprised or bothered anybody: his true face remaining hidden was universally (and ironically) accepted as the foundation of the Ally of Justice's identity.

The collateral to this need for privacy was quarters which looked rather claustrophobic. There were no openings of any sort (aside from some probable hidden ventilation ducts), and the lighting was dim and scarce. The furniture was reduced to a bare minimum, and aside from a small computer on a corner desk there was nothing which could distract the man who resided in these quarters from his thoughts. Nor was there much to attract the occupant's gaze away from the bloody handprint adorning the mask that rested in a transparent case on the bedside table. Nunnally's throat tightened when she saw the prominent display of what were perhaps her brother's last unsullied remains. She'd been horrified when she'd learnt Lelouch's corpse had been dumped on a garbage pile and had in all likelihood been incinerated amidst the detritus. Nothing was left of him, save for the dried blood on the mask. For a moment the young girl was on the verge of asking Zero whether she could have the mask, but she caught herself: her keeping the mask would have been tantamount to erecting a private shrine in the Demon Emperor's memory, something bound to cause a scandal fatal to her rule over Britannia and maybe even to Britannia herself. And then there was the symbol this bloody relic represented for the man who'd worn it…

'You won't ever forgive yourself, will you?' Nunnally said with a choked voice.

'I'm not supposed to' the masked man replied heavily. 'But you seem to know that already, don't you?'

'I've known for a while.' Nunnally sighed.

'How long?' Zero asked wearily.

'Ever since we met at my brother's palace in Tokyo.'

'This long?' The masked man was evidently surprised.

'I think I identified you easily because I used to be blind' Nunnally said.

'You recognized my voice?' Zero asked, evidently unnerved.

'We've been friends for many years, and during all that time I couldn't see' Nunnally explained. 'I spent years listening to your voice and treasuring it.' The young girl blushed. 'That must have sounded weird.'

'It didn't' Zero said, and for the first time in months his voice was kind as he spoke to Nunnally. 'It's just like you said: we've been close friends for years. I should have thought of it.'

'Euphy would have known it was you too' Nunnally said – and realized she'd said it. 'I'm sorry!' she blurted, 'I didn't mean to-'

'Don't apologize' Zero said gently. 'And you're right. She would have known.'

Nunnally nodded. 'I think I'm the only person alive who was close enough to you to be able to guess your true identity on their own.' She blushed harder.

'You're forgetting Arthur' the masked man said.

'Our friends didn't realize he reacted to you specifically' Nunnally said quickly, an alarmed look on her face. 'You're not going to do anything to them, are you?'

'I need to know if they might make the connection between Arthur and me at some point' the masked man said, his voice full with regrets.

Nunnally stared at her interlocutor. 'You _are_ going to do something to them' she said, horrified.

'You do realize what will happen if one wrong person discovers my identity, don't you?' the masked man said, his voice full of self-loathing.

Nunnally swallowed. Of course she knew: the world would descend into chaos, and her brother's death would become senseless.

'What are we going to do?' the young Empress asked timidly.

'Please don't concern yourself with that matter' Zero replied heavily, 'it is my sin to bear. And it has already been taken care of.'

The young girl shivered. 'How?'

'I had him removed from Ashford Academy' the masked man said simply. 'No, I didn't have him killed' he added when he noticed his interlocutor's stare. 'I've had him dropped at Cecile's.'

'Don't you think someone's going to wonder why Zero bothers to order a cat removed from a school?' Nunnally inquired.

'I didn't give that order. Schneizel did.'

Nunnally's eyes opened wide with shock. Schneizel was only marginally more popular than Lelouch was with the world, and with good reason: the creator of Damocles had come very close to achieving world domination, and unlike his younger brother he wasn't going to place himself within harm's reach, but on the contrary remove himself and Damocles to a lower-space orbit where no one could possibly have challenged his rule. The man had intended to play God and very nearly succeeded. His continuing to play any kind of important role was simply unacceptable. Indeed his removal from public affairs had been a condition Zero himself had imposed on Nunnally…

'So that's why he didn't lift a finger to bid for the throne' the Empress said with an accusatory tone. 'You two are actually in league. Why did you lie to me?'

'I do remember assuring you Schneizel would keep a low profile' Zero countered, 'but I never said he didn't work for me.'

'He's dangerous. Stop using him' Nunnally said abruptly.

'You have no authority over me' Zero reminded her.

'My brother has' Nunnally gambled. She knew she took a risk by invoking her brother's memory, but it was the best way she could think of to catch the masked man's attention. The result, however, was nothing like what she expected:

'Your brother commanded Schneizel to serve me' the masked man said.

Nunnally stared at her interlocutor. 'What do you mean by "commanded"? Did he use Geass on Schneizel?'

'Yes.'

The simple word petrified Nunnally.

'Peace is like a garden; it needs to be maintained' Zero offered as an explanation.

'An enforced peace isn't what big brother wanted' Nunnally said, more as a challenge than because she was convinced her brother had not wanted Schneizel to be turned into little more than walking brains to supplement Suzaku's. Her brother's Geass on Schneizel was the latest item on the list of reasons Nunnally had to believe the Demon Emperor kept pulling the strings from beyond the grave.

'Exactly what kind of services does Schneizel perform for you?' Nunnally finally inquired, not knowing whether her question would be answered or, indeed, whether she really wanted to know.

'Schneizel is in charge of a small covert intelligence unit who answer only to me' Zero replied. 'He advises me of any threats to peace he perceives and makes sure nobody uncovers my identity.'

'Kind of like your private OSI. Is Schneizel aware of your true identity?' Nunnally asked with a worried frown.

'Technically he isn't' the masked man said, earning en even more worried look from the young Empress. 'He knows, but Geass prevents him from registering he knows' the masked man expanded. 'As far as he's concerned I am the man he has to serve unquestioningly. He can't do anything else.'

'Geass can be resisted' Nunnally said, her face creased with worry.

'It takes a very strong-willed individual to be able to resist Geass, even for a few seconds' Zero said, answering Nunnally's unspoken objection, 'and Schneizel is definitely lacking force of will.'

'We're talking about a man who's had the nerve to kill a hundred million people and then to pretend it had never happened' Nunnally said pointedly. 'Murder on that scale takes some willpower.'

'He didn't consider his victims as humans' Zero replied, 'those lives were completely abstract for him. Oh, he certainly could pretend he cared' and there was no missing the bitterness in Zero's voice, 'but he didn't. He thought of a billion deaths as a mere byproduct of his plans to pacify our world.'

'I still don't see what this has to do with Schneizel lacking the willpower to resist Geass' Nunnally said stubbornly.

'What you need to keep in mind is Schneizel's incredible brilliance' Zero replied. 'Did you know he actually manipulated your brother into getting rid of your father for him?'

'How do you know Schneizel wasn't boasting for your benefit?' Nunnally challenged. 'How do you know he didn't lie to turn your attention where he wanted?'

'Because Schneizel played your brother's emotions perfectly' the masked man answered. 'He knew your brother was so angry at me he wouldn't listen to a word I said about FLEIJA. He intended Kallen to break free with the first Ninth-generation Knightmare at her disposal, and he used both Anya and Luciano to put Kallen in the perfect position to make me vaporize the Government building you were supposed to be in when she'd leave me with no option but to fire the first FLEIJA. You remember he had men ready to take back control of the craft which smuggled you away from the building before the explosion. He knew your brother would break the moment he believed he saw you disappear, and that his wallowing in despair would free Schneizel's own hands to turn the Black Knights against their master. He even calculated your brother's fake sibling would sacrifice his life to save him, and that this in turn would give your brother the courage he needed to challenge your father. That was something Schneizel preferred to let your brother attempt, since he knew a lot more about Geass than Schneizel himself, and your brother was probably the only other man whose intellect matched that of your father.'

'If he is as brilliant as he pretends to be he wouldn't have lost to big brother' Nunnally objected.

'Your brother didn't win a contest of minds' Zero answered, 'he won a contest of hearts.'

'What do you mean by "a contest of hearts?"'

'Schneizel didn't really want to win the battle of Damocles' Zero explained, 'he just assumed he would. Between his brilliance and his resources as the Second Prince of Britannia he always managed to get what he wanted without exerting himself.'

'He didn't get what he wanted from the Chinese Federation' Nunnally remarked.

'He didn't care one way or the other' Zero stated. 'FLEIJA's development was going full-speed and Damocles was nearing completion when your brother wrested control of the Chinese Federation away from him. Gaining control of the Chinese Federation was ultimately insignificant in the light of his actual designs, so he abandoned that game the second it became challenging.'

Nunnally nearly strangled herself. 'He thought control over the Chinese Federation was _insignificant_?' she croaked. But she already knew why her half-brother had been thinking that way. 'You're right' she admitted uneasily. 'Once he'd have had Damocles nothing else would have mattered.'

'He was setting up a game where he could never lose' Zero said in confirmation. 'And he didn't think he could lose the battle of Damocles either. Once he realized we'd found a counter for FLEIJA he decided to abandon that game too. He had actually formed a scheme to make Damocles just as irrelevant as the Chinese Federation.'

Nunnally nearly choked at those words. 'You can't possibly think Schneizel would have discarded Damocles. The fortress was the cornerstone of his plans.'

'FLEIJA was the cornerstone of his plans. He could just as easily terrify the world into obeying him while acting from the shadows, and he intended to do just that if Damocles escaped his control. His plan was to have the fortress vaporized and then go to ground and make all kinds of people build FLEIJA for him.'

'An even worse reign of terror…' Nunnally whispered.

'That it would have been, if Schneizel hadn't made a fatal mistake by falling back to this last plan. Your brother fully grasped Damocles wasn't all that important to Schneizel's plans, and he counted on Schneizel not even trying to win the battle of Damocles after its outcome became uncertain.'

'Schneizel himself admitted all this?' Nunnally asked.

'He did.' Zero laughed mirthlessly. 'Actually Schneizel is quite glad his enemy showed him where his blind spot was; he says knowing makes him of more value to me.'

Nunnally nodded but she didn't speak immediately. She would have still dismissed Zero's claims had the masked man not explained her brother had shared the view Schneizel was actually weak-willed. Not that it dispelled all doubts the young Empress could have about Schneizel's Geass holding indefinitely, and she said just so: 'Let's assume Schneizel can't overcome big brother's Geass on his own' she conceded. 'We still know Geass can break for other reasons. Our friends from Ashford Academy are living proof of this – their memories of me were erased by my father and only minutes after my brother's death their memories returned. Doesn't this mean Geass can break eventually?'

'No, it doesn't' the masked man replied matter-of-factly. 'In fact your brother himself arranged for the Geass placed on our friends to be cancelled.'

Nunnally stared at her interlocutor, dumbfounded.

'I'm sorry to have kept you in the dark about matters like Schneizel and Geass, Nunnally' Zero apologized, 'but up to this point there wasn't a reason for you to know.'

'Did my brother order you not to tell me?' the young girl asked uncertainly.

'Don't take this personally' the masked man replied. 'Lelouch didn't want _anybody_ to-' The masked man stopped abruptly as he noticed all color had drained from his interlocutor's face. 'Nunnally, what's wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong' the girl managed, her quivering voice belying her words.

Zero "stared" at her. 'What do you really think of your brother?' he asked seriously.

'I no longer know' the young girl said heavily. 'I know he sacrificed himself to make a better world, but I'm not sure whether he did it for our sake of for his own.'

'How could getting himself killed have been for his own sake?'

'He still controls our lives' Nunnally replied, and she raised a hand to interrupt Zero. 'As the ruler of Britannia I have to worry about social and economic reconstruction, total disarmament, prepare the liberation of Areas, manage our diplomatic relations… and I can feel big brother's influence in all of these domains. Did you know he'd started urban reconstruction programs not only for New-Pendragon but for all of the eighteen Areas as well?'

'I didn't know the specifics, but I remember he averaged fifteen hours of work per day in the two months of preparation for Zero Requiem' the masked man admitted.

'Zero Requiem?'

'His final plan' the masked man said simply. 'Bringing peace to a whole world entails much more than setting up your own murder.'

'So you do admit big brother did everything he could to control our futures?' Nunnally pressed her interlocutor.

'Of course he did'. Zero said simply, and Nunnally stared at him. 'Your brother had a right to ensure his own death would not be in vain, don't you think?'

'That depends on an answer you probably won't give me if I ask' Nunnally said, and she sighed.

'You can always try me' the masked man invited.

Nunnally's question was pretty straightforward: 'How many people are there who are still under the influence of big brother's Geass?'

'Just two' Zero answered.

'Just two?' Nunnally echoed, clearly skeptical. 'How about the tens of thousands of soldiers he'd enslaved?'

'Those who weren't dead have been released' the masked man replied. 'It's been hell to manage, but he managed to pull it off' and Zero's voice was expressing undisguised admiration for his late friend.

'All… right…' Nunnally coughed. 'So… let's say there are really just two people who have a Geass on them. Who's the other person?'

'I asked him not to cancel the Geass he'd placed on me' Zero replied. Nunnally's mouth hung open for a couple of seconds.

'You _asked_?' she finally managed, sounding quite incensed. 'You idiot!'

Zero chortled. 'Now you're sounding just like your brother' he said.

'This is _not_ funny!'

'He called me an "idiot" more times than I care to count' Zero said brightly.

'Maybe because you deserved it!' Nunnally scowled at him. 'What possessed you? I know you think you deserve to be punished for your sins, but this is going too far.'

'The Geass your brother placed on me isn't punishment' the masked man said. 'It is a shield.'

'A_ shield_?'

'It's a long story' Zero said, 'but I suppose there's no avoiding telling you, is there?'

'That's a safe assumption' Nunnally said with a flinty tone.

'The story begins with your brother discovering I was the pilot of Lancelot' the masked man recounted. 'I had thwarted his plans several times; he was rather incensed at the pilot who'd ruined two big chances for him to capture your sister Cornelia. I was the X-factor in his plans for several months, the one enemy his strategies couldn't defeat.'

'You sound rather proud of yourself' Nunnally observed.

'I _was_ that good' the masked man said, not as a boast but as an admission. 'But your brother was both intelligent and resourceful. First he analyzed my way of fighting in Lancelot, and managed to formulate a plan to implement the next time I showed up against him. He cornered me like a piece on a chess board, and I barely escaped a sword thrust which should have killed me. The thrust shorn the top of my cockpit off, and I was revealed to my enemies.'

'Was that when big brother placed his Geass on you?'

'No, he did that at our next encounter. And I have to admit I left him absolutely no other choice' the masked man said ruefully.

'Don't blame yourself for big brother's actions' Nunnally warned her interlocutor.

'The blame here unquestioningly rests with me' he replied matter-of-factly. 'Now that he knew who piloted Lancelot, your brother planned an entire operation to capture me instead of killing me. His plans didn't account for my superiors to take advantage of his disabling my knightmare to hold him in place while they killed us both.'

'Tell me you weren't aware your superiors wanted you to die with big brother' Nunnally said, her voice suddenly shaking.

'I wanted to die' the masked man said grimly, and Nunnally stifled a shout.

'What gave you such a stupid idea?'

The masked man laughed humorlessly. 'Your brother also called me an idiot when I wouldn't release him.'

'That's because you were acting like one' Nunnally fumed. '_Idiot_.'

'Aye, aye…' The masked man sighed. 'You know, I had decided I'd sacrifice myself years before I was ordered to give up my life to ensure Zero's was brought to an end.'

It was a terrible confession, and Nunnally was quite incapable to figure out an answer. Fortunately the masked man spared her from having to: 'He ordered me to live' he said.

Nunnally nearly choked. 'You mean…'

Zero nodded. 'Yes, your brother used his Geass to save my life.'

'He saved his own too' Nunnally said feebly.

'True' the masked man admitted, 'though he could have simply ordered me to become his slave or to die on the spot like he did for so many thousands. Either would have saved him. And he didn't have to wait until the second before the missiles hit to activate his Geass. I was his enemy, after all; had he been the monster we thought he was, both you and I would be dead today.'

Nunnally swallowed. 'That's true... And he could have ordered me something worse than to simply surrender him the key to Damocles.' She chuckled somberly. 'Then again this could just be big brother setting things up the precise way he wanted them to be.'

'Your brother told me what happened between the two of you on board Damocles' the masked man stated. 'Notably your admission of having effectively fired a number of FLEIJA against his forces.' Nunnally didn't reply; she merely nodded, and Zero went on: 'It is extremely likely you triggered the release of a FLEIJA aimed straight at him. You actually intended to kill your brother. Do you deny that?'

Lelouch's sister shook her head. 'I was no different from him back then, was I?' she managed.

'No, you weren't' the masked man confirmed. 'You have no idea how miserable he was when he discovered you weren't dead and were actually going to fight him' the masked man recounted, 'and you can't possibly imagine his relief when he realized it was him you were opposing, not his ideas.'

'I _was_ opposing his ideas' Nunnally protested.

'No, you were acting just like him' Zero reminded her. '"Damocles will become the focus for the world's hatred"' he quoted. 'The Demon Emperor became the focus for the world's hatred. Don't lie to yourself; you weren't any different.'

'I never had a supernatural power to force my will on other people' Nunnally protested.

'Did it matter?' the masked man said quietly as he retrieved an object from the folds of his cape. Nunnally blanched upon seeing the item Zero held: it was the Key to Damocles.

'No, it didn't matter' she said, her voice filled with remorse as a new understanding dawned on her. Just like she had realized in Tokyo exactly what it felt like to live in the kind of world she had intended to create with Damocles, she could now comprehend the feelings of a man who would rule over such a world while he actually harbored good intentions. It must have been constant torture. _And I was supposed to resent big brother_ Nunnally remembered. _Without those visions from Geass I would be perfectly content to despise him like the rest of the world... I wouldn't have been agonizing over whether he might have been selfish until the end._

And there lay the answer to Nunnally's interrogations about her brother: he had been _trying_ to be seen as a monster, and had not given his younger sister any special treatment in that regard. In fact the worst he appeared when she looked back on his actions, the better. Nunnally smiled ruefully. _Well, there is at least one thing you didn't plan for, big brother_ she thought. _I can understand what it was like to be you_.

Oddly enough, the young girl felt no grief: she felt at peace. Her doubts about her brother had been unfounded. And though Lelouch had never planned for it, he had just taught his sister an invaluable lesson.

Nunnally looked at the masked man, and she finally spoke: 'May I keep the key?' she asked calmly.

She had surprised her interlocutor. 'What would you want it for?' he asked.

'To remind me of who I am.'

Zero paused to consider the idea for a few moments. Then he walked towards the young Empress and held out the Key. 'Your brother would be proud of you' the masked man said kindly.

Nunnally took the Key and put it in her lap, and then looked up at Zero with a smile. 'Thank you' she said. 'I think I really understand big brother now.'

'But were you supposed to?' Zero mused.

'Can we talk openly about Geass?' Nunnally asked.

'The less people know about that curse the better' Zero replied somberly.

'You are not "people"' Nunnally countered. 'In fact if there is one person who should know why I had a vision of my brother giving you his mask when I held his hand for the last time, that person would be you.'

She heard a sharp intake of breath. 'A vision, you say?' the masked man prompted.

'It was like I could see his life flashing before his eyes.'

'I...' He hesitated. 'I see... Thank you for telling me.'

'Could you tell me the reason for such a vision?' Nunnally inquired.

'I wouldn't know' the masked man said, puzzled. 'I need to think about this.'

'I can give you time. Did we cover the ground you wanted to cover' Nunnally asked.

'I wanted to know how you found me out, and I did' the masked man replied.

'Then if you will excuse me, I think I'll get some rest' Nunnally said. 'It wouldn't to for the Empress of Britannia to fall asleep in her talks with the Tianzi and her ministers, now would it?'

'It wouldn't'. Nunnally couldn't see the smile, but she could almost hear it.

The young Empress had no idea she'd given the masked man even graver doubts than those she'd finally rid herself of. After all, the vision Nunnally had described was not unlike those Suzaku had experienced when in contact with C.C...

'v'

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'v'

**A/N :** Many thanks to **genericrandom** for the review. Blame all the planning on guys like Lelouch, they're too bright for me ;)

To all others: your reviews are welcome too, including criticism, especially since I'm not writing in my native language :) And they do incite to try and update faster ;)


	9. Turn 02 Final Part

**A/N : **Insert some witty disclaimer here explaining I don't own Code Geass or any of its characters.

'v'

* * *

'v'

New-Pendragon; one day later

Six months had passed since Lelouch started to plan the building of New-Pendragon, and it would be many years until the larger part of the reconstruction was done. Presently only a few of the permanent fixtures of the city had been completed: a basic grid of electricity and water supply, secondary roads which would serve as primaries until the work on the larger ones would be completed, some lower-class housings and offices and some light industry. For the rest New-Pendragon was a colorful and disorderly mass of temporary structures of all types, covering the full range from the miserable kind of shelter Lelouch inhabited to makeshift barracks housing work crews and Knight Police alike to the no-less temporary but imposing seat of imperial power, a near-copy of Lelouch's own imperial residence in Tokyo – minus the details which served to create an oppressive mood. It was a testament to Britannian character that there were already an estimated three million living in the less-than-ideal conditions which prevailed in the city.

Oh, and there were pizza retailers, as the waft which preceded a sopping wet C.C.'s entrance reminded Lelouch for the umpteenth time in a month.

'You're incorrigible' Lelouch said, smiling to take the edge off his unorthodox greeting.

'We're not going to have that discussion again' C.C. grumbled. Lelouch decided against berating his pizza-munching accomplice for leaving mud-tracks and dripping water on the floor: the green-haired woman was obviously in a bad mood, and Lelouch thought he guessed why. And he knew better than to remind her he was the one who did their housekeeping when his accomplice was already annoyed, as she'd inevitably make a point of leaving an even bigger mess for him to clean.

The young man rubbed his eyes and yawned – he looked a mess, mainly owing to a severe lack of sleep. The reason Lelouch had been driving himself so hard in the last three days: the smartphone C.C. had brought to show him a video of Nunnally. The tiny device had been the focus of Lelouch's attention ever since he'd acquired it, and though its batteries were beginning to run low the young man still intended to glean a good amount of information from it – even if that implied not sleeping and staring at the little screen for another twelve straight hours (if his body permitted).

While C.C. busied herself with gobbling down her favorite food the young man resumed his current research on New-Pendragon.

Lelouch had not been surprised to discover Nunnally had decided to keep building the city he had designed before his fall. Not that there had been much choice in the matter. After the Civil War the centralization policies of Britannia had reached heights undreamed-of; the reconstruction of the country had entirely revolved around the creation of a single administrative, cultural, economic, industrial and military center. The Emperors had wanted Pendragon to dwarf Paris, the undisputed cultural and economic center at the mid-nineteenth century, and they had succeeded beyond their expectations. The city vaporized by the second FLEIJA warhead had numbered over a hundred million inhabitants; it had sat at the center of a sprawling network of infrastructure designed to supply a city that drained nearly a sixth of the continent's population and over a half of its resources. Now that Pendragon, the Motherland's undisputed industrial powerhouse, had been erased from existence, Britannia was unable to rebuild the kind of infrastructure required to redirect the flow of the motherland's riches and population to any of the peripheral regional capitals. It was easier by far to prolong or rebuild the existing infrastructure to accommodate the needs of a new capital built right next to the site of the former, not to mention the fact it was less expensive. And that last point mattered when the destruction of Pendragon had reduced the Motherland's industrial capacity to a fraction of its former value. These days Britannia's main revenues weren't drawn from the Motherland but from the countries it had subjugated over the centuries; a necessity, as Nunnally had successfully demonstrated to the aspiring rulers of Britannia's dominions.

'Obviously the UFN have understood the consequences of releasing the areas prematurely' Lelouch mumbled.

C.C.'s reply took the form of a flung olive pit.

Lelouch glanced at his accomplice. 'I know I'm annoying you' the young man said in an obvious attempt to placate the green-haired woman – a clear failure, as he had to dodge another of the small projectiles. Lelouch winced. 'Please bear with it; it'll be over by this hour tomorrow.'

C.C.'s reply was tinged with sarcasm: 'You _are_ aware that you wouldn't have to obsess over a thing like _this_', and she nodded at the smartphone, 'if you didn't stay confined within these four walls.'

'I'm in no hurry to make a fatal slip' the young man countered. 'And I don't fancy the notion of acting the blind man if the only alternative is to Geass any person who happens to look in my general direction.'

'Had you been paying less attention to that screen, you might have noticed something on your bedside table' C.C. said huffily, and she flicked another olive pit in her accomplice's direction. She missed badly, and the projectile went to clang on the wall above the trash can, in which it neatly landed.

Lelouch snorted. 'Nice shot' he said. 'And how long has it been since we had proper beds, let alone bedside tables?'

C.C. gave him a flat stare.

'Alright…' Lelouch stifled a yawn and got to his feet. He disappeared in the tiny space that served as his "bedroom".

C.C. knew better than to expect an audible reaction from her accomplice when he saw her "gift". She did expect an exchange of niceties when he got back to the main room.

'I imagine those are just as special as the ones I used to wear' the young man said, extending his hand to show a pair of tinted contacts.

C.C. gave him another flat stare that plainly said "Do you think I'm stupid?"

'You didn't tell me you still had access to the resources necessary to make those' Lelouch challenged her.

'I remember telling you not to bother about that part' C.C. said. 'It's your own fault you weren't paying attention at that time.'

Lelouch decided to let the accusation slide, notably because it had every chance to be based on truth. His accomplice probably had told him she could make a new set of special contacts for him as she tried to persuade him he should stop trying to find ways to kill himself - which would be the reason Lelouch had not bothered to pay attention about any details she'd mentioned. He let his accomplice continue with her explanations: 'If you must know, the process to render materials impervious to Geass doesn't require much in the way of resources' the green-haired woman said. 'It only takes a Code bearer willing to impregnate the materials with their own flesh for a few months. The hardest part was actually to save enough money to acquire the contacts.'

'We'll have to check whether my own flesh has the same properties' Lelouch said thoughtfully.

'I don't think that would work' C.C. said, munching distractedly on her pizza. 'You aren't actually a Code bearer.' She grinned. 'You're just too stubborn to die.'

'What color would the contacts make my eyes?' Lelouch asked, determined to ignore the witch's last comments.

'An intense blue' C.C. replied. 'Those demon eyes of yours are growing less and less easy to conceal; I had to pick a brighter color than before.' She glanced at her pizza, noting there were only two olives left. She'd have to ask for more on the next one she ordered. Running low on ammunition was never a good thing.

Lelouch made a resigned face. Of course Geass was going to keep plaguing his life even now he didn't intend to use it again. 'How long will this protection last?' he asked tiredly.

'A couple of decades, maybe, if you never use Geass again' C.C. said, toying with an olive pit. 'Once it is permanently active Geass never really stops to strengthen, even when you don't activate it. Eventually your Geass will become like Mao's. It won't require eye-contact at all, it will just work.'

'We'll deal with that particular difficulty when it presents itself' Lelouch said, carefully putting the contacts on. 'I'm going to get ready for a walk' he announced, 'care to accompany me when you're done eating?'

It took quite a bit to catch a centuries-old witch by surprise. Judging by how C.C. was staring at him open-mouthed, her accomplice had certainly managed to.

'What?' Lelouch asked innocently.

'Three minutes ago you were too scared of making a fatal slip' C.C. said, looking dubiously at her accomplice.

Lelouch had an explanation ready. 'There isn't much circulation in this part of town after midnight, the lighting is scarce, and the rain should reduce visibility further. I don't need to worry about Geass now that you've kindly provided me with those lenses, and I'm so tired I won't be able to keep up any act I don't master – which isn't too much of a danger since between the darkness and the weather you're the only one who'll really notice, and you can tell me what I need to correct once we're back. All in all it seems unlikely I'll be getting better conditions for a first foray outside, will I?'

C.C. gave him an arch little smile. 'Now that's more like the Lelouch I remember. What should I call you while we're on the streets?'

'Do you know why snow is white?' Lelouch said in reply.

C.C. stared at him. 'You can't possibly think of…'

'It is the only way to eliminate the most dangerous slip' the young man explained. 'Even if you're making yourself answer to another name, your real name is ingrained deep within yourself. Eradicating the possibility of any involuntary response to one's real name takes a training I can't get in present circumstances or time I don't have at my disposal.'

'You're trading the possibility of an incident you can correct with Geass for the certainty you'll attract attention when people hear your name' C.C. countered. 'Lelouch isn't that common a name; it's also one the people outside associate with the Demon Emperor.'

'I'm minimizing the number of scenarios which might require the use of Geass' Lelouch reminded her accomplice. 'And how do people called Lelouch react when someone points it out to them?' Lelouch inquired.

'I wouldn't know' C.C. answered honestly. 'I didn't actually stumble on one of your homonyms.'

'The Demon Emperor killed my brother' Lelouch said icily, and C.C. nearly jumped. Lelouch relaxed and offered her a wan smile. 'It isn't exactly a lie.'

'You're skirting around the fact you weren't the Emperor when you killed a brother, but yes, it sounds quite convincing' C.C. said thoughtfully.

'I hope it does' Lelouch say. 'So, can I count on your company?'

'As long as you don't change faster than it takes me to eat half a pizza' C.C. replied.

Lelouch smirked. 'Adorable.'

'We'll see what kind of weird needs _you_ have when you've lived for centuries' the witch replied.

'I probably won't ever develop a taste for pizza' Lelouch said, smirk turning into a smile. 'I'm going to change.'

'You could do that here, you know' C.C. said. 'It's not like I haven't seen everything there was to see when I was looking for that Code.'

Lelouch went into a fit of coughing; the young man's face was on fire. 'Must you?' he eventually managed in a pained voice.

'Now _you're_ adorable.' The witch smiled; it had its effect on Lelouch as well. 'You're so innocent in some ways, Lelouch' C.C. said. 'I envy you.'

Lelouch turned away. 'I'll be getting ready' he mumbled, making his way to his bedroom.

C.C.'s gaze trailed after him. _I wasn't actually thinking of him that way_ she told herself with a small smile. _I did think he looked cute_.

A rustling of clothes was coming from the room next door, and C.C. caught herself picturing her accomplice getting undressed in her mind's eye. She shook her head to rid herself of the images that followed. _That innocence of his is_ _precious_ C.C. told herself. She sighed. _He's going to have more than enough time to love someone and be loved back in those years before his Geass condemns him to hide forever. Better he gets that first experience from someone who loves him. I can't give him that; I don't even know what it feels like to be in love_.

She didn't know what to make of the pang she felt in her stomach. It might have had to do with a spoiled ingredient in the pizza. C.C. decided she wouldn't finish it. Lelouch was bound to tease her about the sudden loss of appetite, but it didn't really matter. In fact C.C. was somewhat looking forward to being teased.

'v'

New Pendragon, temporary government quarters; the same night

Schneizel el Britannia, former Second Prince of the Empire, was one of five people aware of the nature of the small, ornate scepter that now adorned Empress Nunnally's main desk. To be entirely honest, the fact he was one of a few who knew didn't matter to Schneizel. What mattered was the fact that he was _conscious_ of remembering what the object was. Such moments of awareness as this night's were precious to the former Prince as they were few and far between. The gaps in Schneizel's memories since he'd been defeated on Damocles were days-long and sometimes weeks-long. The former Prince had a precise idea of the reason he'd almost lost his mind – and that he couldn't afford to think of it since it was guaranteed to rob him of his consciousness. About all he could do was feeling around the edges of his situation and hope for a means of escaping his present condition.

Schneizel had, with some patience, managed to discover what occupied his days when he was not himself. He was employed both as the head of a small but powerful intelligence cell and as a sounding board on matters of government. At first he'd resided in Tokyo, then at some point he had moved to nondescript quarters in the temporary administrative district of New-Pendragon – Schneizel had every reason to think he had selected the place himself.

And, according to the files that lay neatly folded on a rack on his desk, his current work was related to matters like the security arrangements around the Empress of Britannia, the unofficial funding of ASEEC, the possible evolution of the UFN's demands regarding the areas and, of all things…

_Now that particular file is dangerous_ Schneizel told himself. _It has little reason to be here and must somehow have every reason to be here._ He knew better than to follow that train of thoughts.

The file in question was a surveillance file on whose spine were named four people: Millay Ashford, Rivalz Cardamonde, Kallen Kōzuki and one Arthur. As far as Schneizel could remember the first one was part of a news service for a prominent TV channel; he knew, of course, who the third person was, but had no idea of the importance of the two other names - the latter of which wasn't even a full name. He could only assume "Arthur" was an alias; it may have been the designation of an agent working on that particular file, or "Arthur" might even be the code name for a project. Schneizel had no idea whether either was right, and he was in no hurry to find out. He knew there was a very real chance something might trigger another loss of awareness before he consulted that file, but on the other hand if he delayed long enough he would ensure the existence of the file would not vanish from his memory. Something he didn't want to happen: this file which looked so trivial in comparison with the other matters he handled must be there for an _excellent_ reason.

However Schneizel couldn't afford to remain idle. He knew that was another trigger for loss of consciousness. Only working on any of his files wouldn't do, as he couldn't remember the work he'd already put on them… He had to find something new to occupy him, and find it fast. And here too his near-complete amnesia was quite a hurdle to jump…

He was running out of time.

_If this is my only option, I guess I should open that file_.

The face on a photograph occupying the first page came as a complete surprise to Schneizel. _Why on earth have I been investigating a cat?_

Schneizel's confused expression vanished quickly. The former Prince had a feeling this file would turn out to be a most interesting study… provided he didn't lose his mind while he perused it.

_Well, there is only one way to find out._

Schneizel began to read.

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N : **This chapter has been considerably altered from its original state - I'll admit I wasn't quite satisfied with how it had first turned out. I'm interested in any comments from people who've read both versions.

Thanks to **Genericrandom** and **undead3** for their reviews and criticism. It helps :)

'v'

* * *

'v'

**Coming next**

'Rise' the woman commanded.

Lelouch's heart skipped a beat: the voice of the "very important person" was none other than his half-sister Guinevere's.

Thankfully there was no hint of recognition in the Princess' eyes when Lelouch looked at her. _I'm glad I thought of cancelling her Geass_ the young man told himself. _Imagine her acknowledging me here by name..._

Guinevere obliged, though thankfully not acknowledging the name her half-brother had in mind: 'Fiona here tells me your name is Lelouch Lamfhota.'

'Yes, your Highness' Lelouch confirmed in a humble tone.

'You shall work for me' the Princess said abruptly. 'If your performance is as exceptional as your superiors led me to expect, you may rise to a position in society higher than you ever thought of reaching.'

Issuing such a statement to a former ruler of the known world felt a bit rich, but Lelouch wasn't in the mood for such irony.

'v'


	10. Turn 03: Temptation

**A/N:** Still don't own a single letter of this. Not likely to change in the near future.

'v'

* * *

'v'

The blade exited the deadly wound it had wedged, and blood fountained from Lelouch's damaged heart. He fell. Through the haze of pain he felt an ironic sense of _déjà vu_ – it wasn't the first time he'd been stabbed in that exact place, and he'd recovered from a similar wound before. He knew he'd recover again. What frustrated Lelouch was the fact he'd been effectively put out of action, and it wouldn't be long until he lost consciousness – he _was_ emptying himself of blood with each beat of his frantically quivering heart.

C.C. was on her own. And the odds were heavily stacked against her: she had six men to manage, all of them armed with switchblades, and three teenagers (one boy and two girls) to protect from the thugs who attacked them.

As he waited for the inevitable descent into unconsciousness, Lelouch couldn't help but notice the twisted irony of the situation. Here they were, in the very heart of the Britannian motherland, and three middle-upper class Britannian children were being targeted by former "Numbers" on the pretext the teens were "Number haters". During his tenure as Zero Lelouch had known of a significant amount of similar incidents occurring in or near the Japanese ghettos – "members of the resistance" who used the claim as a pretext for beatings, muggings, sometimes even murders and rapes; Lelouch had targeted the practice as part of his campaign to demonstrate his Black Knights were on the side of justice even when it meant defending Britannians foolish enough to set foot in the ghettos – at least that had been his public stance as Zero. In private Lelouch had been quite glad to protect perfectly innocent people from a particularly vicious brand of crime.

Now he was witnessing it again – only he was Zero no longer and had resolved not to use Geass unless he was absolutely forced to. In the balance hung the protection of three children about to be the victims of a gruesome violation and possibly worse; had Lelouch not been about to fall unconscious that it would have been weighed against the threat of a living Demon Emperor's discovery, which would endanger the lives of at least three million times as many children.

There was one small consolation: Lelouch had been persuaded the conditions prevailing in his neighborhood tonight – a heavy downpour and miserable lighting – would lessen the risks of his being recognized to almost zero. He'd been right: even the thug who had gotten close enough to knife him had no idea he'd just "killed" the Demon Emperor.

Lelouch winced. Something felt wrong. By now he should have lost consciousness, but his head was perfectly clear. His chest, he noticed, was no longer painful; soreness was the only reminder of the lethal wound he'd suffered only moments before. Unexplainably his body had healed in a matter of seconds, where before the restorative process had always taken at least a few hours, as he repeated attempts at finding a permanent way to end his existence.

_I healed this fast because I'm supposed to act_ the young man decided – dodging the issue of who or what had altered his healing. He needed to concentrate on practical issues, and right now the only practical issue he had to deal with was his lying in a gutter after being knifed in the heart. _Dead men do __not__ act._

Lelouch risked a glance in the thugs' direction. None of them were paying attention to him any longer; they were focused on their four other victims. One of the girls had already been grabbed, and the former Emperor heard the sound of tearing cloth as she screamed. He heard the boy – her boyfriend? – beg the thugs to "let Carrie go", which only earned him laugh, jeers and an invitation to share Lelouch's fate.

Of course the foolish man who had issued the threat had no idea his first victim had recovered in a matter of seconds.

Lelouch risked a longer look to assess the situation. Two of the men were restraining the half-naked girl, one of them twisting the left arm of the red-head in a painful hold, and a third man was cutting away what was left of her clothing with one hand and pawing her greedily with the other. A fourth one held a knife to the throat of the second girl, a brunette so terrified she looked about to faint, and who was certainly not helped by her captor's whispers or his own roving hand. The fifth, who had just threatened the boy, held his knife pointed in his direction while he ogled the red-haired girl; the remaining one, who was supposed to keep an eye on the "cowering" C.C., had succumbed to the same temptation. Lelouch knew the only reason his accomplice had yet to take advantage of the mistake was the knife held at the second girl's throat.

He, on the other hand, was completely free to act; all he had to do was to avoid any sudden motion before he intervened. There was, of course, a simple means for him to thwart the thugs: Geass. A practiced sleight-of-hand now took care of the lenses as he lay nearly still. He would be able to give his command at any time… and then he'd have to eliminate the possibility someone might remember they witnessed a dead man talking.

Time pressed. He had to make up his mind now. _If it were only me I wouldn't have wanted to use Geass_. His choice was simple: force his will on humans once more, or let a horrible crime happen. _Either way, Evil will remain._

The downed man rose with a grunt. Ten pairs of eyes looked in his direction, nine of them not believing what they were seeing. Lelouch suppressed a smile. _Time to give those scum a good scare_.

'Aw, hell. I just died' he said nonchalantly, scratching his head for good effect.

The thugs' grip on their victims slipped; shaking knives were raised in Lelouch's direction. The young man snickered. 'Seriously? Didn't you guys see a stab in the heart doesn't stop me? I'd behead myself to give a better demonstration, but the coat isn't beyond saving.'

C.C. had snapped into action before he finished that sentence, quietly removing the frightened teenagers from Lelouch's line of sight, her action unheeded by men too busy being rigid with fear to notice they were made to let go of their captives. All Lelouch needed to do was stall for a few more seconds – and he was helped there by his targets.

'Demon' one of them said with a voice made hoarse with fear.

'That's not a very polite name to call someone' Lelouch said pleasantly as he made sure he could see all six thugs' eyes. 'You know, taking into account what you kids were doing it seems you are just as demonic as I am, wouldn't you say? So why don't you get lost, forget what happened here tonight and never commit such crimes again?'

The last sentence had been backed by Lelouch's Geass. It had been long months since the young man had last called upon the Power of Kings; the young man was surprised to feel he'd just satisfied some kind of… hunger? He suppressed a shiver as he watched the band of thugs walk away under the frightened stares of their victims. Stares which quickly turned to Lelouch himself.

The young man pretended to rub his eyes, replacing his lenses as he spoke: 'Sorry I scared you that way' he said kindly, 'but it wouldn't have been a very good bluff if I had explained the blade had slipped.' There was a major inconsistency in that explanation, namely the fact the thug who'd knifed Lelouch would obviously have realized his blade had not killed, but the young man counted on the three teenagers being so upset by the whole incident that they wouldn't notice.

'How about we take them home for a hot drink and a change of clothes for Carrie here?' C.C. suggested, also sounding uncharacteristically kind.

'An excellent idea' her accomplice replied. 'Name's Lelouch' he said, introducing himself. 'And yes, it's the same name' he added with an apologetic tone. 'I don't know what my parents were thinking. This is my roomie Celine' he added, nodding in C.C.'s direction.

'Daniel' the young man said hoarsely, 'and they're Charlotte and Janice. And thank you, but we really should-'

'No buts' Lelouch chided gently. 'Your parents can come and pick you up at our home.' C.C. looked at him with surprise. Her accomplice had a very good idea of why: Lelouch's offer practically implied that he was going to use Geass on other people beyond the three teenagers. If there turned out to be no other way; the young man might prefer not to use his power, but he certainly wasn't going to turn the three children loose if there was a good chance they might get hurt even further. _I'm not the kind of man who can idly watch people suffer_.

Lelouch handed his battered coat over to the red-haired girl, a means of both protecting her modesty and shielding her from the rain. C.C. had to help the traumatized teenager into the coat, as she was currently quite incapable of performing such a simple task as pushing her arms through sleeves. The former Emperor sighed. Saving the teenagers' lives had been one thing; altering their memories was quite another, even if that meant leaving the girl hard memories to deal with.

_Either way, Evil will remain…_

'v'

* * *

'v'

**Code Geass R3: Lelouch of the Redemption**

**Turn 03 – Temptation**

'v'

* * *

'v'

New Pendragon administrative center, two months later

'Wow, I didn't think the new guy would be so cute!'

Lelouch blinked at this most inappropriate statement from a head of office at least fifteen years older than he was. _Then again this woman looks like an aged version of Milly.._.

'Welcome to the third planning division, mister Lamfhota' the blonde woman said more seriously. 'I'm Lana Graves, and you've been assigned to work under me.' She winked. 'Poor you' she added.

'I'll manage' Lelouch replied with a small smile.

'This is Robert Frieze' Lana said, pointing at a disgruntled-looking redhead who was about forty. 'He's first secretary; any problems you have should be referred to him.'

'Not including looking for a missing rubber duck' the man said grumpily, and Lelouch had to hold a chuckle.

'Jane Slinkhard' Lana went on, now showing a petite and energetic brunette around Lelouch's age 'who's in charge of theoretical studies _and_ post-processing.'

'… _and_ waiting around while the damn bureaus take their sweet time, so I'll be glad to show you around the building, Lamfhota-san' Jane said, grey eyes twinkling behind her glasses. Lelouch registered her employing a Japanese mode of address.

'Dan Welder' Lana continued; the man she introduced looked a scarred man who had to be in his fifties, and who looked like he'd seen too many wars. 'He oversees our accounts and is in charge of begging the government for funds.'

'That's Lana trying to tell you not to dream of a pay rise anytime soon' the older man said with a gravelly voice, followed by a chortle which surprised Lelouch.

'Service is its own reward' Lana shot back without missing a beat, and she wagged her tongue at Dan.

The older man laughed.

'Everyone' Lana managed almost seriously, 'the new hand here is Lelouch Lamfhota' – the young man heard an all-too-familiar squawk coming from Jane – 'he'll be replacing our late lamented Helen as my assistant.'

Dan whistled. 'Poor chap, she's going to drive you to exhaustion in no time' he said with a grin.

'Improper choice of words, Chief Graves' Robert growled, 'Helen hasn't departed, she just quit.'

'Shh' and Lana put a finger across her lips, 'you're going to scare him.'

'No need' Lelouch said with a chuckle, 'I'm already so frightened it's only a matter of seconds before I faint.'

The blonde woman laughed. 'I'm going to like him' she commented.

'As long as the Chief remembers pranks aren't included in her job description' Dan said innocently.

'Hehee'. Lana grinned. She turned back to Lelouch. 'I'll introduce you to Erich and Emilia later; they're the only ones who actually understand what we're working on.'

'She means they're architects' Robert supplied.

'I see.' Lelouch nodded.

'We don't have our own staff of secretaries yet' Lana said, 'and I hope we get them before Robert goes insane' – the interested party coughed loudly and spluttered a protest which, of course, fell in deaf ears: 'Jane's available, you know' Lana added – then she ducked below the trajectory of a fast-incoming rubber.

Lelouch laughed softly. 'Working here is going to be an interesting experience.'

'You have no idea how interesting, boy' the grizzled Dan said, his eyes twinkling. 'You were telling him about the pool of secretaries' he reminded their chief.

'I was' Lana said, standing back up after she retrieved the rubber. 'They're on the second floor. You bring any assignments you have to the head-desk; it joins the pile, then gets dispatched to one of their crew, then gets back to you.'

'And you get to complain about the delays while you wait and about the result when they're done' Jane added.

'They aren't that bad' Dan protested.

'No, they're worse' Robert mumbled.

'I guess I haven't forgotten anything of importance?' the blonde woman asked, looking around.

'Where to find the vending machines?' Jane supplied, looking gingerly at her boss as the blonde woman hefted the rubber she'd picked up.

'We're _not_ turning this boy into another coffee addict' Lana growled. Then, mischievously: 'But you can ask Prince Charming here if he's ready to sacrifice himself to protect you against the dragons on the path to your favorite drink.' She winked and watched the brunette turn a nice shade of pink. She stammered a 'Please stop it' which only served to make the head of office grin.

'And this is what you call efficient team management' Dan said, sending Lana into a fit of laughter.

Lelouch gave the blonde woman a few seconds to recover. 'Aside from keeping this charming young woman company' he said, and Jane's blush deepened, 'what are my duties going to be?'

'Come along' the blonde woman replied. 'You'll be mostly working in my personal office; once you've made your bones-'

'- we aren't Mafia -' Robert growled.

'- you'll run the show when I'm out of the office' Lana finished.

'Provided they don't chuck you in the madhouse first' Dan added pleasantly.

Lelouch chuckled. 'I had an impression I was already there.'

'I _am_ going to like him' Lana said, grinning. Lelouch decided the feeling had good chances of being reciprocal. 'Let's get you started, Lelouch.'

'I think you've forgotten something' Dan interrupted.

There was a squeal from Jane, and then the "thunk" of the rubber hitting her chair's back – the brunette had tried to lean aside to dodge her returning property and managed to fall on the floor. 'Ouch!' She emerged, red in the face but quite unharmed.

'All taken care of' Lana said contentedly, and she left the main office. Lelouch followed. He was rather looking forward to working with the blonde woman and her team. He'd not been feeling so alive since Millay's graduation party. Shirley had died shortly after, and everything had gone downhill until he found himself nearly completely alone. Only C.C. had remained, until now.

Of course Lelouch knew better than to look for friends in his new coworkers. Still they were the first acquaintances he'd keep as Lelouch Lamfhota.

The young man smiled. His new life was off to a very decent start.

'v'

New-Pendragon, the Empress' private office; later the same morning

Nunnally felt somewhat ashamed as she let her half-sister Cornelia into her office, and she had good reasons to feel ashamed. She was about to use one of the persons closest to her as a test subject for a means of manipulating some of her less friendly advisors and siblings. The former Nunnally would never have considered such a deed, but after several weeks of contemplating her brother's means to good ends she had come to admit a ruler sometimes had to disregard conventional morals when it served the greater good. Thus the preparation for the coming exchange with Cornelia had been a test for Nunnally herself – and she had passed. She hoped (she believed) that her brother was watching her and that he was proud of her.

The experiment to which Cornelia was being subjected revolved around the ornate scepter which rested horizontally on a delicate golden stand on Nunnally's desk. As was the case for most people in the world, the only glimpse Cornelia had had of that particular object was in the broadcast which had consecrated Lelouch's victory at the Battle of Damocles, and the Demon Emperor had not revealed that the scepter was in fact the switch used to trigger the launch of the flying fortress' FLEIJA warheads. The question was whether a person like Cornelia, an elite warrior trained to notice the smallest details, would remember the scepter at all six months after she'd had her only glimpse of it. If Cornelia didn't remember, Nunnally could be pretty sure none of her intended targets would, and it'd clear the condition for Nunnally to use the scepter… against her own siblings.

The test would be an extended one. Nunnally had summoned Cornelia to discuss a rather different but no less important matter with her sister, and she knew the coming exchange would be tense. It would revolve around the first steps of Nunnally's plans to implement democratic processes in the Empire, and even though the implementation was going to be limited to the lowest levels of power, at least for the time being, a person like Cornelia was bound to have strong objections against handing any political power over to the people. Nunnally's half-sister was, after all, a former governor in several Areas who could draw on her extended experience of power to support the claim Britannia's class system worked better than any form of democracy could.

As her half-sister greeted her Nunnally suppressed a sigh. Between a tooth-and-nail discussion over the issue of universal voting rights and the necessity to keep an eye on Cornelia's possible notice of the Key, the coming interview would be a trial the likes of which the young Empress had seldom endured.

'v'

New Pendragon administrative center

Nunnally didn't know her brother was enduring a trial of his own at the same time – and not quite meeting expectations. Lana Graves looked a lot less cheerful when, after only an hour and a half of work, Lelouch brought her his draft for the analysis of polls taken to survey the opinions of New-Pendragon's residents regarding green spaces within a large metropolis.

'Oh, come on, you can't have done more than a preliminary analysis' she commented.

Lelouch blinked. Then he cursed himself internally. _I've been working as intensively as I did when I prepared for Zero Requiem_ he realized.

The blonde woman was scanning his work, rifling through the pages, and Lelouch watched her anxiously. Her expression, annoyed at first, gradually turned into one of amazement. Her question, when it came, didn't catch Lelouch unaware.

'How did you manage that? Not only you've been working about four times faster than the average for this kind of job, you've even managed to spot a recurrence I would never have with ten years of practice!'

'I don't know if it's natural talent' Lelouch replied uncomfortably. 'I didn't think I had performed exceptionally.' Which was all too true.

The blonde woman grinned like the Cheshire cat. Once again Lelouch couldn't help but remember Milly. 'You and I are going to make an excellent team.'

It could have turned out a lot worse: now he was positive Lana wasn't going to question him. However Lelouch's experience with Milly gave him a very good idea of where he was headed: his boss playing the pranks and him doing the job.

He groaned. _Why me?_

'v'

With Lana Graves Lelouch knew he'd met a second Milly Ashford. He'd also wondered whether his coworker Jane would turn out to be a second Shirley – the girl obviously admired him, and she'd reacted to their chief's teases the same way Shirley had to the student council president's in her time.

The petite brunette took the first opportunity to show Lelouch around (or rather to show him the way to the vending machine serving the best coffee in the building), and also to engage him in some private conversation. The subject, however, wasn't quite what the young man had expected.

'Do you have a second name?' she asked – a very trivial question in itself, but the look from the girl's grey eyes was extremely serious.

'I do' a puzzled Lelouch replied.

'Why don't you use it?' the girl asked.

'I'm comfortable with my first name' the young man said truthfully.

The grey eyes blinked twice. 'How do you manage?' their owner said with obvious surprise.

Something clicked in Lelouch's mind. 'Your first name used to be Euphemia' he said.

'It was' the brunette confirmed with a shudder. Her interlocutor reminded himself the girl must have lived in Japan. _She would have suffered quite a bit of abuse_ Lelouch thought.

'Euphemia is just a name' he said. 'So is Lelouch, for that matter. Sharing the name of an evil character doesn't make one evil.'

'I know it doesn't, but most people don't know that. Or maybe they don't care.' The young woman shuddered.

_Another innocent bystander who had to suffer because of me_ Lelouch told himself. _Who knows what she's been through just because she happened to share the Genocide Princess' name?_

'So changing your name protected you' Lelouch said.

'That and leaving Japan.' The girl was now staring at her feet. 'I'm not courageous like you, Lamfhota-san. I ran away.'

'Don't blame yourself for this' Lelouch chided gently.

There was a small pause as the brunette gave Lelouch a searching look.

'How do you deal with all those others?' Jane asked.

'Through no merit of mine, really' Lelouch replied. 'The Demon Emperor killed one of my brothers. Most people tend to quit harassing me after I tell them how I feel about it. Those few idiots who don't want to quit get discouraged by their own friends.'

The girl blushed. Her stare remained fixed on her feet. 'I'm sorry' she said with a small voice. 'I shouldn't have asked.'

'Don't apologize' Lelouch said. 'You needed to.'

'I did' Jane admitted. 'Thank you.' She was blushing harder than ever.

'It was my pleasure' the young man said courteously. He was rather successful at hiding his own embarrassment – the girl in front of him was obviously falling for her new colleague at lightning speed. His old self, the Lelouch before Shirley had died, would have been feeling incredibly awkward. The present Lelouch was embarrassed for very different reasons, though: he didn't know whether he should nip her hopes in the bud. The past Lelouch might have accepted such a girl's love; the present one knew returning her feelings would lead nowhere.

It hadn't been much easier for Lelouch to manage young Charlotte, the teenager he'd saved from being raped a couple of months' earlier. The girl's way to deal with the trauma of the aggression was harassing her savior (and getting little in return aside from a break-up with her boyfriend). She reminded Lelouch of some of his more persistent suitors at Ashford Academy, girls like Miya who made it a point of being in his company as often as they could, even if that meant greeting him three or four times a day (and blushing as they said how silly of them it was not to have noticed they had seen him earlier). Charlotte couldn't quite see him that often, but she had one advantage over the Ashford Academy girls: she could meet him alone. C.C. was seldom present at daytime, as she was either looking for paid work or scrounging basic necessities for the pair (the former was growing steadily harder as C.C. began to acquire a reputation for sloppiness – try as she might, the green-haired witch just couldn't find enough interest to properly manage whatever menial job she was hired to do). This had left plenty of time in the afternoons for Charlotte to visit her savior, and the young red-head never seemed to run out of pretexts to come back to the miserable home and sometimes even managed to drag his occupant out.

Lelouch had put up with it graciously, for reasons that had nothing to do with the eager girl's infatuation. Carrie provided him an insight on how people might react to a man bearing the same name as the Demon Emperor, and her friends provided him with a nice testing field. Of course it was a bit embarrassing that the girl kept offering to provide for him – she was the daughter of high-ranking functionaries (minor nobles actually), and even in the reconstructing Britannia this meant the girl's allowance was higher than the earnings of many members of the poor classes. Lelouch refused the charity, but he had agreed to let the girl suggest her parents they find him a role as a civil servant.

They had found him an assistant director's job as he'd discovered today, after reporting where Carrie had said he should. It was quite clearly supposed to be a sinecure of some kind… only it was far more. In fact it was possibly the best possible job Lelouch could have hoped for in his circumstances. Not for the environment, even if he did think he'd get along well with his coworkers, but because it concerned a matter Lelouch was very familiar with (he had, after all, laid out the frame for the establishment of Britannia's new capital city), and a matter which was important to him. Lelouch had laid the lives of hundreds of millions to waste. He couldn't do good for this many in his new position, but he _could_ make a difference for hundreds of thousands from his position – with no strings attached. It was a refreshing change. After all, it had been a long time since Lelouch had been able to do good without having innocents pay for it.

'v'

* * *

'v'

**A/N:** An actual update, and it's only been a year and a half! *whistles*

I'll be frank: I'm testing the waters with this update, which had already been written for a while but was waiting for the rest of the turn to be completed. If the story does interest some people, I'll resume writing. If it doesn't, it's perfectly alright. I have a number of other irons in the fire :)

Thanks for reading.

-LB


End file.
